The next round of multilateral peace talks aimed at ending the civil war in Syria have been postponed until March 9, the United Nations said Tuesday.
The Geneva talks have been postponed for two days to “allow adequate time to address logistical and practical matters,” the office of Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. envoy for Syria, said in a statement.
Earlier Tuesday, de Mistura told the Reuters news agency in an interview that the U.N. does not want the talks to “become a discussion about infringements or not of the ceasefire” that began on Saturday.
The pause in fighting is intended to give international aid organizations time to deliver humanitarian aid to besieged and hard to reach areas of Syria. Both sides have already accused each other of violating the long-awaited cessation of hostilities.
The Institute for the Study of War wrote on Monday that the Russian Ministry of Defense reported nine ceasefire violations by terrorist groups and moderate opposition factions as well as the government of Turkey. Riad Hijab, head of the opposition umbrella High Negotiations Committee “accused Russian warplanes of conducting 26 airstrikes on Feb. 28.”
