Syria's government and opposition met Monday (July 10th) for a seventh round of UN-sponsored peace talks with little expectation of a breakthrough to end the six-year conflict, AFP reported.
The talks in Geneva opened after a ceasefire took effect in three provinces in southern Syria on Sunday, with a monitor reporting that the region was mostly quiet despite scattered violations.
The ceasefire was brokered by the US, Russia and Jordan, the latest agreement reached outside the Geneva framework.
In principle, the new round of Geneva negotiations will focus on four so-called "baskets": a new constitution, governance, elections and combating "terrorism".
As he arrived for the talks on Monday, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters: "We will work very hard."
The last talks ended in May with little progress towards ending a war that has killed more than 320,000 people since it began in March 2011.
