Bashar Jaafari, Syrian Ambassador to the UN and head of the Syrian delegation attends the talks on Syrian peace at a hotel hall in Astana, on Monday. Pic/AP

Astana: Syria talks brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran and seeking to bolster a shaky ceasefire in place since last month opened yesterday in Kazakhstan, marking the first face-to-face meeting between the Damascus government and rebel factions fighting to overthrow it.