BREAKING NEWS

UN mediator urges Syria sides to engage at Geneva round

GENEVA - The United Nations mediator called on Syria's warring sides to be prepared to engage on substantive political issues at the next round of talks starting on Thursday and expected to last until April 1, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
The talks will focus on four issues "in parallel" - governance, constitutional changes, elections and counter-terrorism measures, UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said in a statement read out to a UN briefing in Geneva.
De Mistura, who has just held talks in Riyadh, is going to consult officials in Moscow and Ankara before returning to Geneva a day after the talks open under his deputy Ramzy Ramzy, she said.