The UN's Syria envoy, Geir Pedersen, is hosting 15-member teams from Syria, while major regional and world powers — Iran, Russia, Turkey and the United States — are expected to be present on the sidelines during the week-long gathering at the UN offices in Geneva, AP reported.
With a fragile cease-fire largely holding in the rebel-held region of Idlib, Pedersen said last week he is hoping to build “trust and confidence” in a UN-led process that has produced few concrete results so far.
The meeting is the first of its kind in nine months, before the COVID-19 outbreak forced the postponement of one planned in March. Participants were to be tested for the coronavirus before and after arrival in Geneva.
A larger group of 150 delegates is also part of the process, but is not meeting this week.