UN: Fighting near Damascus puts Syria peace talks at risk

ASTANA. KAZINFORM United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura said that ceasefire in Syria is holding for the most part, although continuing fighting between government forces and rebels near Damascus, can lead to a breakdown of the peace talks scheduled for January 23 in Astana.

De Mistura also stressed that there are areas where humanitarian aid is still not getting, despite the ceasefire, BBC reports.

Fighting is still going on near the capital's water pumps and water supplies. Authorities say about 5.5 million people of Damascus do not have access to clean drinking water, as about 70% of infrastructure has been damaged during the fighting. Syrian troops are trying to seize the valley where water supplies are located.

On December 31 The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution welcoming a ceasefire in Syria submitted by Russia and Turkey.

In mid-December parties of the conflict were invited to hold peace talks in Kazakh capital Astana.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said that on these talks Damascus is willing to discuss any issues without any restrictions.

At the same time some Syrian opposition groups announced they were suspending talks.