DAMASCUS, Feb 11, (AFP): Aid teams launched fresh efforts on Tuesday to evacuate civilians from besieged districts of Syria's Homs, as the regime and opposition held their first joint session at a second round of peace talks.
The Syrian Red Crescent has so far helped evacuate around 1,200 people trapped in rebel-held areas of the war-ravaged central city, and delivered desperately-needed food and medicine.
The operations are scheduled to continue at least through Wednesday after an initial three-day truce that began Friday was extended by another 72 hours.
In Geneva, meanwhile, the Syrian regime and opposition sat down for their first face-to-face talks this month at a session chaired by UN-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi.
The second round of peace talks began Monday, with expectations low and the opposition warning it might not attend a third round of talks if no progress is made.
UN and Red Crescent teams evacuated 473 people from Homs on Monday, many of whom have spent more than 18 months trapped with dwindling food and medical supplies.
They streamed out of streets strewn with rubble and bookmarked by half-collapsed buildings, towards the vehicles waiting to extract them from the city.
Aid mission to Syria\\\'s Homs extended, peace talks resume
FE Team | Published: February 12, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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