GENEVA/UNITED NATIONS - Intra-Syrian peace talks are set to resume in Geneva on March 7, after the United Nations (UN) Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday to endorse a cessation of hostilities agreement for the war-torn country.
"The first phase of these talks will last for three weeks and then we will reassess the situation together with the Syrian parties in order to make sure that they are seriously engaged in what they are supposed to do," said UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura in a statement late Friday night.
"The agenda has not changed, it is the same," he said, after briefing the UN Security Council in New York via a video conference.
"Within the framework of the Geneva Communique, the clear guidance is UN Security Council resolution 2254: a new inclusive government, a new constitution, and new presidential and parliamentary elections within 18 months," said de Mistura.
The statement came shortly after the cessation of hostilities, backed by Russia and the United States, came into effect in Syria at midnight Damascus time (2200 GMT Friday), in line with an agreement reached by 97 armed groups and the Syrian government. The deal excludes the Islamic State (IS) group and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, as both are listed by the UN as terrorist groups. (Xinhua)