Geneva peace talks bring offer of exit from besieged Syrian city

A man carrying a bag amid damage and debris in the besieged area of Homs yesterday.

The Syrian regime offered to let women and children leave the besieged city of Homs yesterday as negotiators from the warring sides discussed humanitarian gestures on a second day of face-to-face talks in Geneva.

Government and opposition delegates also spoke of releasing prisoners and enabling access for aid convoys during what the UN mediator acknowledged was a slow process but one which he hoped would lead to broaching the central issue that divides them after three years of civil war - namely the future of Syria’s political structures and of President Bashar al-Assad.

Homs, occupying a strategic location at the centre of Syria’s main road network, has been a key battleground.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told a news conference after yesterday’s meetings that the government would let women and children leave the city centre if rebels gave them safe passage.