Riad Hijab

Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ümit Yalçın met political and military representatives of the Syrian opposition on Feb. 3 in Ankara to prepare for a meeting in Geneva on Feb. 20, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Turkey and Russia have agreed on the terms of a proposed ceasefire in Syria, where they back opposing sides in the civil war, Turkish state media report.
The Anadolu news agency cited an unnamed source as saying the two states were working to ensure the ceasefire would start after midnight (22:00 GMT).

A top U.N. humanitarian aid official for Syria said he expected continued U.S. help in efforts to support beleaguered Syrian civilians under the newly elected Donald Trump's presidency.

The United Nations' special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, made a plea on May 4 for a halt in fighting in the second city of Aleppo, warning that failure to do so could lead to a "catastrophic" outcome that could send 400,000 people rushing to the border with Turkey.

France will host talks next week with the Saudi, Qatari, Turkish and UAE foreign ministers on the breakdown in the Syrian peace process, government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said May 4.

The United States on April 30 demanded that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's forces halt their bombardment of the city of Aleppo and help restore a nationwide ceasefire, while nearly 30 air strikes hit rebel-held areas of the city on the same day as a temporary "calm" declared by Syria's military took effect around Damascus and in the northwest.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced on Feb. 22 that parliamentary elections are to be held on April 13, state news agency SANA reported, shortly after Washington and Moscow announced a ceasefire plan.

Outgoing French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Feb. 10 criticized the U.S. role in Syria, saying he did not see "a very strong commitment" from Washington.

"There are ambiguities ... You don't get the feeling that there is a very strong commitment," Fabius told reporters shortly before announcing that he was stepping down after nearly four years as foreign minister.