Ilham Ahmed of the Syrian Democratic Council has not ruled out discussion with the Syrian regime or Turkey, during a symposium in Aleppo reports North Press.

Sergey Lavrov and Mohammad Javad Zarif have met to discuss the crisis in Syria, the need for diplomatic efforts and plans for another meeting of the Astana countries writes The Syria Times.

The Tunisian Council for International Relations (TCIR) and the Tunis-based Institute for Prospective and Advanced Strategic and Security Studies (IPASSS) offer new independent venues for wide-ranging discussions.