Second day of Syria peace talks begins in Astana

ASTANA, Kazakhstan Peace talks aimed at ending the Syrian conflict entered the second day on Tuesday in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana. The talks, which focus on extending the cease-fire that came into effect on Dec. 30, 2016, have been brokered by Turkey, which backs the opposition, and Russia and Iran, who support Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The participants will discuss violations of the cease-fire as well as improving security within Syria in a bid to pave the way for a political solution to the six-year conflict. The representatives of the Syrian regime, armed opposition groups, Russia, Turkey, Iran, the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, as well as U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan George Krol gathered at the Rixos Hotel at around 10.30 a.m. local time (0430GMT). Syria’s UN Ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari heads the regime team. The Turkish delegation is led by Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Sedat Onal while Special Envoy Alexander Lavrentiev and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov lead the Russian team. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari is also participating. Groups such as Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, are excluded from the cease-fire and the talks. The meeting is due to last until Tuesday evening, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said. However, the duration will be extended if need be. "We expect implementations, not only promises," Osama Abu Zaid, a member of the opposition delegation, told reporters on Tuesday. "Turkey, Russia and Kazakhstan are doing what is necessary to make the meeting successful. Concrete steps are needed to be taken to achieve success." He added the violation of the cease-fire by the regime constituted the "biggest" obstacle. Zaid said there were discussions on a final declaration, adding: "We did not see the draft version. It was not transmitted to us. That is why, we cannot speak on this." Zaid remained evasive when asked if talks could be extended, adding that the decision lied with the guarantor countries.