Yehya al-Aridi

Syria's government and opposition meet on July 10 for a seventh round of UN-sponsored peace talks with little expectation of a breakthrough to end the six-year conflict.

The talks in Geneva open after a ceasefire took effect in three provinces in southern Syria on Sunday, with a monitor reporting that the region was mostly quiet despite scattered violations.

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.