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UN: Geneva Peace Talks On Syria Extended To December 15


UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura

The UN special envoy for Syria says the current round of talks aimed at ending the conflict is to run through December 15.

Staffan de Mistura said in Geneva on November 30 that the Syrian government delegation might go home to "consult" for several days.

He told a news conference that the talks would focus on a new constitution and UN-supervised parliamentary and presidential elections.

The UN mediator also mentioned an unspecified "12 points" in the works that could lead to a "shared vision of what Syria could look like" after more than six years of war.

The eighth round of UN-mediated talks between the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition formally began in Geneva on November 29.

Mistura cited a "serious and professional" atmosphere at the talks, adding that a lack of trust was "the biggest obstacle."

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria and millions have been driven from their homes since the conflict began in March 2011 with a crackdown on antigovernment protests.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

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