'Substantive' Syria talks to start on March 14: UN

By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

Syria's cessation of hostilities is "open-ended" and "substantive and deeper" talks will start on March 14, according to the UN.

Speaking on Wednesday in Geneva, UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said the new talks’ focus would be on governance, a constitution and on holding presidential and parliamentary elections in 18 months.

De Mistura was speaking following a meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) Task Force.

This round of peace talks would not last beyond March 24 and there would be a couple of days' break before resuming dialogue, de Mistura indicated.

De Mistura also told reporters that following the cessation of hostilities, the UN had reached over 238,000 people in besieged Syrian towns with 536 trucks of humanitarian aid.

The issue of a ceasefire and humanitarian aid should not be addressed by next week's talks because the ISSG task force was addressing those issues, de Mistura added.