President Bashar Al-Assad: Homs

Homs: The rare truce in Homs may help build some confidence ahead of a second round of peace talks between the opposition and the government of President Bashar al-Assad, scheduled to begin in Geneva next week. The siege of the old city of Homs has gone on for more than a year, and activists say 2,500 are trapped inside the area, struggling with hunger and malnourishment. , according to CBC. The talks were adjourned until Feb. 10 with no tangible progress achieved, as the Syrian government accused the opposition of capitalizing on human suffering in Homs to score points with the international community. Children, elderly women on wheelchairs and other civilians were evacuated Friday from besieged neighbourhoods of Syria's battleground city of Homs under a deal struck between the government and the opposition that also included a three-day ceasefire allowing aid convoys to enter. Syria's civil war: key facts, important players Syria's growing refugee crisis Syria chemical weapons deadlines will be met, Russia says Syrias civil war spawns deadly barrel bombs, other DIY weapons UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi had pushed for aid for the estimated 2,500 civilians trapped in the ancient, rebel-held quarters of the city known as Old Homs as a confidence-building measure during the first face-to-face meetings in Geneva last month. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.