BREAKING NEWS

Diplomats: Syria war parties to agree on UN basic principles paper

GENEVA - Syrian government and opposition parties at peace talks in Geneva are expected to agree on Thursday to a document drawn up by a UN special envoy outlining basic principles in what one diplomat described as a "baby step" forward.
With a fragile ceasefire in place in Syria, negotiations are due to adjourn on Thursday after almost two weeks of discussions and to resume in April.
The talks are part of a diplomatic push launched with US and Russian support to end more than five years of war in Syria that has killed more than 250,000 people, created the world's worst refugee crisis and bred the rise of Islamic State.