By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Mariam Karouny GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) – A second round of Syria peace talks got off to a shaky start on Monday with the international mediator meeting the two sides separately after violations of a local ceasefire and an Islamist offensive set back his efforts. Ahead of the talks, mediator Lakhdar Brahimi told delegates to commit first to discussing both ending the fighting and setting up a transitional government. Brahimi had tried to break down mutual distrust by focusing on agreeing a truce for a single city, Homs, but even that was only achieved after the first round was over, and aid workers were fired upon as they evacuated civilians on Saturday. The opposition says a transitional governing body must exclude President Bashar al-Assad.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/second-round-syria-talks-makes-faltering-start-145725463.html

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