New round of Syrian peace talks as Russia withdraws troops

(Vatican Radio) President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to withdraw most of its forces from Syria, timing his move to coincide with the launch of Syria peace talks. But Mr Putin made it clear that Russia will maintain its air base and a naval facility in Syria and keep some troops there.

Meanwhile,

The United Nations special Envoy for Syria says the first day of the latest round of Syrian peace talks in Geneva were useful as Peter Kenny reports.

Listen:

Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations special Envoy for Syria says the first day of the latest round of Syrian peace talks in Geneva were useful.

The two sides are not meeting face to face. Instead, UN negotiator De Mistura has started the talks by meeting with the Syrian government delegation under its Ambassador to UN in New York, Bashar Jaafari.

De Mistura said the talks are the only way of stopping five years of war that has claimed more than 270,000 lives.  Even though the stakes are high there is no alternative to the talks said the special envoy.

“These talks are important, they are strongly wanted, and requested by the [International Syria Support Group] ISSG, the 18 countries who are part of it, plus two international organizations. They are strongly urged by the US and Russian Federation, the P5 and the Security Council. So let’s be clear: these talks are wanted by the international stakeholders.”

If the talks do not hold the only alternative is a war that can be even worse than the one now.

There is much distance between the sides De Mistura admitted.

He said the basis of the Intra-Syrian talks is the “Geneva communiqué” from June 2012 and resolution 2254, adopted by the UN Security Council in December. The real issue is political transition, he said.