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Syrian government agrees to let women and children leave Homs

Photo: Syria's government and opposition finally met face-to-face on January 25 in the lead up to the UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva. (AFP: Philippe Desmazes) Related Story: Warring Syria parties meet for talks in Geneva for first time Related Story: Syria foes clash over Assad at peace talks Map: Geneva 2474

The UN mediator at the Geneva peace talks, Lakhdar Brahimi, says the Syrian government has agreed to let women and children leave the besieged town of Homs.

The rebel-held districts in the Old City of Homs have been under siege since June 2012, with many residents trapped in dire conditions.

The undertaking to relieve their plight was given during the second day of face-to-face talks in Geneva aimed at ending the almost three-year conflict.

Mr Brahimi also says the opposition had agreed to give the government lists of detainees held by armed groups that it had authority over or contact with.

"What we have been told by the government side is that women and children in this besieged area of the city are welcome to leave immediately," he said.

"Hopefully starting tomorrow, women and children will be able to leave the Old City in Homs. Other civilians are also welcome to leave, but the government needs a list of their names first."

Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal Muqdad confirmed that women and children would be allowed to leave but blamed rebel forces for preventing that.

"I have been personally involved over the past two years to get these women and children out of the Old City of Homs. But we could not," Mr Muqdad told reporters.

"In all these attempts we have been prevented by the armed groups, who did not allow a single person out," he said.

Mr Brahimi is calling on the international community to lift sanctions on Syria.

He says the negotiations will take time and are best dealt with at a slow, considered pace.

"If you run you may gain one hour and lose one week. So we are going slow," Mr Brahimi said.

"I hope that we will continue to be going slow. So far I think that the process is continuing but it's very early days," he said.

The apparent but limited breakthrough in negotiations has come on the second day of sessions held to negotiate humanitarian measures, before the much tougher discussions about the handover of political power comes in the next day.

ABC/AFP

Topics:unrest-conflict-and-war,event,government-and-politics,geneva-2474,syrian-arab-republic

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AEDT

Scuba diver dies off beach south-east of Melbourne

Photo: Paramedics and divers tried to resuscitate the man, but were unable to revive him. (ABC News) Map: Rye 3941

A scuba diver has died after getting into trouble off Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

The man, believed to be in his 40s, was diving alone off a beach on Browns Road at Rye when a group of divers spotted him struggling around 3pm (AEDT).

They dragged him to shore and tried to resuscitate him, but he could not be revived.

He died at the scene.

Charles Pratt was one of the divers who discovered the man in trouble and said the deceased diver took a risk by diving on his own.

"It looks like he might have jumped in with his regulator off which is sad because his tank was still full," he said.

"It's a dangerous sport, clearly, but if you take precautions it should be relatively safe."

Topics:death,rye-3941

First posted January 27, 2014 17:04:45