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              Syrian Sides Continue Talks, Near End of First Round

   Delegates from the Syrian government and opposition are continuing
   their peace talks Thursday with international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi,
   who says the two sides remain willing to meet despite a large gap
   between them.
   Brahimi expects the initial round of the long-awaited negotiations in
   Geneva to end Friday, with an agreement to resume the talks again about
   a week later.
   He said Wednesday he does not expect to achieve "anything substantive"
   by Friday and hopes that the next round will be more productive.
   The two sides agreed Wednesday to use the "Geneva communique" as the
   basis of discussions, but differed on how the talks to end nearly three
   years of fighting should proceed.
   The document spells out agreements reached at a June 2012 international
   conference in Geneva, including the creation of a transitional
   government agreed to by both the government and opposition.
   The opposition wants to start talks by focusing on the transitional
   authority while the government wants to address it near the end of
   talks, demanding that putting an end to "terrorism" is still its first
   priority.
   Rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad insist he must leave
   power, while the Syrian government has said Mr. Assad`s role is not up
   for debate at the peace conference.
   Syria`s conflict began in March 2011 as peaceful protests against the
   government before spiraling into a civil war that the U.N. says has
   killed well over 100,000 people and forced nearly 9 million from their
   homes.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-sides-continue-talks-near-end-
   of-first-round/1840719.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-sides-continue-talks-near-end-of-first-round/1840719.html