Syria's Assad says Astana talks will focus on ceasefire

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said peace talks in the Kazakh capital next week will focus on enforcing a cessation of hostilities to allow aid access across the country.
"I believe that they will focus, in the beginning, and will prioritise, as we see it, reaching a ceasefire," Assad told Japanese television channel TBS, according to excerpts released by his office.
"This will be to protect people's lives and allow humanitarian aid to reach various areas in Syria," he said.