Parties to the Astana talks on the war in Syria are meeting once again for two days in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan. The UN has called the talks the most effective dialogue to end the Syrian war.
After 12 previous rounds since 2017, however, the situation on the ground remains much the same. The UN says more than 400,000 people have been internally displaced by the war.
Iran, Russia, and Turkey are the three main Astana guarantors, who will be in attendance along with observers from the UN and Jordan.
Members of the Syrian opposition and Assad regime will also attend, with Lebanon and Iraq joining the talks for the first time.
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The current Astana talks are meant to focus on the Idlib region, home to more than 3 million people. The province is said to be the worst hit and is the last remaining rebel stronghold.
Around 800 people have died in regime bombing in the last three months alone, even within the de-escalation zone, despite a ceasefire agreement.
The region has been bombarded almost daily by Russian-backed regime forces.
It's hoped that representatives will also address confidence building measures between the Syrian parties, and plans to form a constitutional committee.
Previous rounds of talks accomplished a prisoner exchange, and opened a way for direct dialogue between the Syrian regime and the opposition. The talks also created a framework of rules for safe zones. But the Assad regime's attacks on the safe zones meant the last talks held in March-April of last year were mired in disagreements.
The UN and other members of the international community are hoping for the two-day talks to make headway in breaking the deadlock in order to work on a permanent ceasefire in Syria.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
