The Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee said on Saturday it supported efforts towards planned peace talks in Kazakhstan, and viewed the meeting as a preliminary step for resuming the next round of political negotiations in Geneva. The Syrian government and rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began a nationwide ceasefire on Dec. 30 brokered by Moscow and Ankara. According to Anadolu New Agency, the Astana meeting comes as part of ongoing efforts by Turkey and Russia to promote a political solution in war-torn Syria. Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests – which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings – with unexpected ferocity. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed and millions more displaced by the conflict.
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