World Power brokers’ scramble for Syria sees Russia, Iran and Turkey talking peace BL PREMIUM

Astana, Kazakhstan — Key power brokers were scrambling on Friday over plans to speed up a political settlement in Syria, with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura joining a second day of talks after negotiations in Moscow. A new round of peace talks backed by Russia, Iran and Turkey began in the Kazakh capital Astana on Thursday in an attempt to revive a hobbled peace process. The second day of the talks coincides with the anniversary of a devastating and strategically crucial victory by Syrian forces in Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city and once a rebel stronghold, after a blistering Russian-backed offensive. The Kremlin is hoping to convert its game-changing military intervention in Syria into a political settlement on its terms, and wants to bring together regime officials and the opposition for a "peace congress" at the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The Kremlin’s chief negotiator Aleksandr Lavrentyev said on Thursday that "quite a lot of time" at the talks had been spent on Moscow’s...