Syrian government to start peace talks on Friday: U.N.

[January 29, 2016]    GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura will meet a Syrian government delegation in Geneva on Friday to kick off the first peace talks for almost two years and will later meet other participants in the talks, his office said in a statement.

"Mr. de Mistura will start by meeting the government’s delegation today, headed by the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations, Mr. Bashar Jaafari.

"He will continue meetings with other participants in the talks and with representatives of the civil society subsequently," it said. "As indicated by Mr. de Mistura in his press conference on 25 January, these will be proximity talks, meaning that the parties will be meeting with him separately."

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Alison Williams)

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