UN sends out invitations to participants in Syria talks

Khawla Mattar, a spokeswoman for Staffan de Mistura, told The Associated Press in Geneva that the envoy would not make public the numbers and identities of the invitees until his office gets "feedback from the invited parties" - a sign of the delicacy of his task.

The talks are meant to start a political process and cease-fires in parallel to the talks, a new constitution and elections in a year and a half.