Syria's warring sides brought together for Geneva talks

   UN-sponsored peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition are to get under way in Geneva for the first time in nearly a year.

  The meeting follows weeks of difficult negotiations in preparation.
  UN's special Syria envoy,Staffan de Mistura, yesterday said that he was not expecting a breakthrough.
  According to reports, the opposition is insisting that the fate of President Bashar al-Assad is on the agenda, something the government has refused to discuss.
   It would be recalled that the rebels lost their key bastion of East Aleppo to government forces in December and a nationwide ceasefire has been largely holding for the past several weeks.
   The ceasefire was orchestrated by Turkey, one of the main backers of the rebels, and Russia, Syria's ally. Both powers have also sponsored recent rounds of talks between the government and rebels in Kazakhstan, aimed at shoring up the truce.