8th round of Astana talks on Syria slated for Dec. 21-22

ASTANA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The eighth round of Russia-led international negotiations on the political settlement of the Syrian conflict will be held on Dec. 21-22 in the Kazakh capital of Astana, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said Monday.

"During the upcoming talks, the participants plan to adopt a provision on a working group on the release of detainees, the transfer of bodies and the search for the missing," the ministry said in an online statement.

The agenda also includes discussion about the functioning of de-escalation zones in Syria and the approval of a joint statement on humanitarian demining in the war-hit country.

The new round of Astana talks will come after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday during a surprise visit to Syria that Russia will withdraw most of its troops there as terrorists have been defeated.

In parallel with the UN-backed Geneva process, seven rounds of Astana talks have been held since January, with Russia, Turkey and Iran as the mediators. The most significant outcome was the establishment of four de-escalation zones in Syria. Enditem