FILE PHOTO: UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura briefs the media during an international conference on the future of Syria and the region, in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations mediator Staffan de Mistura said on Monday that he was reconvening peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva on May 16.

In a statement, de Mistura voiced hope that the agreement reached last week in Astana among Russia, Iran and Turkey to set up “de-escalation” zones in Syria will be implemented in full “thus bringing about a significant de-escalation in violence, and helping shape an environment conducive to the political intra-Syrian talks in Geneva”.

Syria’s foreign minister Walid al-Moualem said earlier on Monday that Damascus would abide by Russia’s plan for such zones if rebels also observed it, adding that the insurgents should help drive Islamist militants from opposition-controlled areas.