The Malian government will hold an information and consultation meeting on Saturday in Bamako with the living forces of the nation on the “Draft agreement for peace and national reconciliation in Mali” in view of the resumption of inter-Malian inclusive dialogue in Algiers in February, a Malian official source said …

UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura arrived in Syria from Beirut on Monday for talks with officials in Damascus to follow up on efforts at ending the four-year conflict, official media reports said. De Mistura has been trying to facilitate local ceasefires in different areas of Syria since …

Efforts to set up Ukraine peace talks this week remain on track, despite US scepticism over whether a deal can be reached. President Barack Obama has refused to rule out sending arms to Ukraine, but has indicated he is willing to see if German-led efforts to broker a ceasefire succeed …