Envoy Struggling To Salvage Syria Talks

UN-Arab League envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said security problems were delaying the evacuation of women and children from the city of Homs.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the international envoy on Syria, will try to salvage the Syrian peace conference in Geneva on January 29 after more signs of troubled negotiations.

Talks between representatives of the Syrian government and the moderate opposition broke off on January 28 amid continuing differences about the goal of the negotiations.

The opposition delegation said Brahimi was expected to continue mediating indirect talks on January 29.

The sides remain deeply divided over whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should resign and hand power to a transitional government.

There also has been little progress on the issues of prisoner exchanges and the delivery of humanitarian aid.

There was a tentative agreement at the weekend to evacuate women and children from Homs, which has been under siege by government forces for nearly two years.

But Brahimi says security problems are delaying that evacuation

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP