Bashar al-Jaafari

Representatives from Turkey, Russia and Iran - guarantor powers in the Astana talks - kicked off the sixth round of a high-level trilateral meeting in Tehran, in a bid to reach a consensus on de-escalation zones in Syria, on Aug. 8. 

The sixth round of Syria talks in Geneva on May 19 concluded in failure as there was no progress on any issue for a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

The latest round of talks was expected to focus on four topics: the constitution, governance, elections, and fight against terrorism.

U.N. Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria Staffan de Mistura will be in Ankara on March 23 to hold talks with the Turkish Foreign Ministry's undersecretary. 

Peace efforts for Syria floundered on March 15 as a third round of talks that were sponsored by Russia and Turkey ended with no progress after rebels refused to show up to a meeting in Kazakhstan.  

Peace talks aimed at ending the Syria conflict through a gathering between the Syrian government and rebel groups made a rocky start on Jan. 23 in the Kazakh capital of Astana. 

Peace talks aimed at ending the Syria conflict through a gathering between the Syrian government and rebel groups began on Jan. 23 in the Kazakh capital of Astana. 

Representatives from the two sides sat at the same table as Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov delivered an opening speech, an AFP correspondent saw.  

Prospective participants in peace talks scheduled to take place in the Kazakh capital of Astana were making preparations ahead of Jan. 23, the set date for the start of the negotiations that were brokered by Russia and Turkey.

No foreign power should be permitted to interfere in the ongoing Syrian peace talks in Geneva, the lead government negotiator said, denying that high-level US-Russian meetings in Moscow will impact the process.

Syria's main opposition said March 22 that it would not be deterred by Damascus' refusal to discuss the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and vowed to be patient in the ongoing peace talks.

Syria's warring sides prepared on March 13 for fresh peace talks after locking horns over the fate of President Bashar al-Assad, with the regime insisting his ouster was a "red line" while the opposition vowed to see him go - dead or alive.