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No breakthrough expected at new Syria talks

Expectations were modest for a new round of Syria talks set to get underway in Geneva Feb. 23, with the new US administration still formulating its policies.
Men run at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held besieged Douma neighbourhood of Damascus, Syria February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh - RTSZDP3

WASHINGTON — United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said that he was not expecting a breakthrough at a new round of Syria talks set to get underway in Geneva on Feb. 23. Instead, he aimed to gain momentum on talks toward a political settlement while a fragile cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey late last year has mostly held.

“Am I expecting a breakthrough? No, I'm not expecting a breakthrough,” de Mistura told journalists at a press conference in Geneva on Feb. 22. "But I am expecting and determined [to keep] a very pro-active momentum.”

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