Syria\\\'s warring parties kick off new round of talks

GENEVA, Feb 10 (AFP): Syria's warring sides launched a new round of peace talks Monday, as an agreement from the first round last month was being implemented with aid convoys evacuating the besieged city of Homs.
The UN and Arab League mediator, veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, began the latest session in Geneva by shuttling between the government and opposition teams.
It was not clear when or if the two sides would sit down for the sort of mediated face-to-face negotiations they held for a week in January.
Brahimi hopes to capitalise on the Homs agreement to find some way of closing the vast divide separating representatives from President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the fractured opposition.
There was little optimism that the tone would be more constructive this time. Both sides have shown themselves to be obstinate and quick to engage in blaming the other side.
This time, Brahimi wants to nudge the teams towards discussion of the core issues: stopping fighting and agreeing a transitional government in Damascus.