Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he believed peace talks in Kazakhstan would lead to local "reconciliation" deals with rebels, a sign of his confidence in a process launched by his Russian allies after the opposition's defeat in Aleppo, Reuters reports.
Assad said he hoped the conference would be a platform to discuss "everything" but that it was unclear if there would be political dialogue "because it is not clear who will participate".
"So far, we believe that Astana will be about talks with terrorist groups over a ceasefire" that would facilitate reconciliation deals, Assad said.