The United Nations mediator brokering peace talks on Syria’s civil war says the two sides have reached a deal to allow women and children to leave a city under government siege for more than a year.
Lakhdar Brahimi acknowledged yesterday that the step was a small one – he had hoped for an agreement to let humanitarian aid into the city of Homs.
But the agreement was the first tangible outcome from peace talks that have been marred from the outset by low expectations and acrimony.
Mr Brahimi defended the pace of the talks in Geneva, which have yet to touch upon the issue of President Bashar Assad’s future.
“You may gain one hour and lose one week,” he said.