Syria peace efforts falter as rebels boycott Astana talks

Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they were suspending participation in a latest round of peace talks aimed at pushing a Russian plan for "de-escalation zones" in the war-torn country.

Syrian government and opposition delegations gathered in the Kazakh capital Astana for the start of the fourth round of talks sponsored by regime backers Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey to try and end the six-year war, but the rebels soon said they were temporarily pulling out.

"The rebel delegation is suspending the meetings because of the violent air strikes on civilians. The suspension will continue until shelling stops across all Syria," a rebel source in Astana told AFP.

The negotiations began with a series of bilateral meetings and were expected to focus on a Russian plan to establish "de-escalation zones" around the country.

A source close to the opposition provided AFP with an Arabic-language version of the proposal drafted by Russia, which an opposition official confirmed was being discussed on Wednesday.

It calls for the creation of "de-escalation zones" in rebel-held territory in the northwestern province of Idlib, in parts of Homs province in the centre, in the south, and in the opposition enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.

The aim is to "put an immediate end to the violence" and "provide the conditions for the safe, voluntary return of refugees" as well as the the immediate delivery of relief supplies and medical aid, the document said.

According to the draft, "security zones" would be created around these areas with checkpoints and monitoring centres manned by government troops and rebel fighters.

Military units from unspecified "observer countries" could also be deployed, the document said, naming Turkey, Iran and Russia as guarantors of the agreement.

It said a "joint working group" would be created within five days of the document being signed by the warring parties.

The start of the two-day meeting in Astana came as Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The two leaders have supported opposing sides in the Syrian conflict but their positions have drawn closer as they have patched up differences over Ankara's downing of a Russian jet in 2015 at a string of meetings. "It is very good that we have the chance to meet and talk about the key issues of bilateral cooperation and the main international problems including ones as serious as the Syrian crisis," Putin said.

Putin also discussed Syria with US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Tuesday.

Trump had previously mooted the idea of safe zones and the White House said his call with Putin included "discussion of safe, or de-escalation, zones...to achieve lasting peace for humanitarian and many other reasons."

Five killed in Azaz car bomb explosion

Beirut - A car bomb blast killed at least five people on Wednesday in the rebel-held Syrian town of Azaz by the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The dead were four civilians and a police officer, the Britain-based monitor said, adding that the toll could rise because a number of those wounded were in serious condition. The blast littered the ground with debris and set an enormous fire that sent thick clouds of black smoke billowing into the air.

Civil defence workers and residents tried to put out the blaze.

The dead were placed in black body bags, next to which grief-stricken mourners sat weeping or staring in shock. The blast hit near a mosque and the headquarters of the opposition's provisional government, formed in 2013.