A first day of indirect peace talks between Syrian rebels and the regime of Bashar Assad in Kazakhstan's capital Astana ended Monday without any apparent breakthrough, sources told AFP.
"Our delegation's meetings are over for today," a source close to the regime told AFP, after rebel spokesman Yehya al-Aridi told reporters the opposition's meetings were also done for the day.
Monday's talks, organized by rebel backer Turkey and regime allies Russia and Iran, could have marked the first time armed rebel groups directly negotiate with Assad's regime since the conflict began in 2011.
But the rebels backed out of direct talks because of the regime's ongoing bombardment and attacks near Damascus.
The rebels, however, participated in indirect talks with the regime and held a three-way meeting with Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, an encounter Aridi described as "long and productive."