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Intra-Syrian talks to resume next week with HNC: UN official

Xinhua, April 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

The second round of Syrian peace talks is expected to kick-off on April 11 with UN mediator Staffan de Mistura meeting the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the Saudi-backed umbrella group for Syrian opposition factions, on Monday, head of the UN information office at Geneva Ahmed Fawzi said Tuesday.

"As Staffan de Mistura explained, these are proximity talks. He's going to start with whoever is here and we expect the opposition to be here on Sunday and start meetings with the special envoy on Monday," he clarified.

Confirmation of the government delegation's arrival date has yet to be obtained however.

"I don't think we have a confirmed arrival date but as far as I know last meeting they said they would be available as of the fourteenth," said Fawzi.

This will be the second of three scheduled rounds of talks seeking to broker a political end to the five-year conflict which has killed over 250,000 people and forced 4,8 million people to leave the country. Endit