The Syrian government said women and children could leave the besieged rebel city of Homs on Sunday as negotiators from the warring sides discussed humanitarian gestures on a second day of face-to-face talks in Geneva.
Government and opposition delegates also spoke of releasing prisoners and enabling access for aid convoys during what the U.N. mediator acknowledged was a slow process but one which he hopes will lead on Monday to broaching the central issue that divides them after three years of civil war — namely Syria’s political future and that of President Bashar al-Assad.
Homs, occupying a strategic location in the center of the country, has been a key battleground. Assad’s forces retook many of the surrounding areas last year, leaving rebels under siege in the city center, along with thousands of civilians.
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told a news conference after Sunday’s meetings that the government would let women and children leave the city center if rebels gave them safe passage. U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said he understood that they would be free to quit Homs immediately, Reuters informs.
