Rich in Symbols, Short on Substance, UN Resumes Syria Talks
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Geneva (AP) -- Syria's opposing sides met face-to-face for the first time in U.N. mediation in three years on Thursday, with the U.N. envoy citing a historic chance to end a conflict that has left hundreds of thousands dead, displaced millions and fomented a proxy war by foreign powers.
In a ceremony rich in symbolism, and as violent clashes continued in Syria, Staffan de Mistura convened government and opposition envoys for a new U.N. effort to cobble together a political process to halt suffering for millions of Syrians after nearly six years of war.