UN envoy to Syria calls on US and Russia to 'save' peace talks

The United Nations envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has urged the United States and Russia to save a ceasefire in the country from fully collapsing.

The main Syrian opposition group pulled out of peace talks last week as bombings intensified in the country’s north.

“The next rounds of talks are going to take place because we need and we want to keep the momentum, but let’s be frank, they will be meaningful only if and when the cessation of hostilities is brought back to the level we saw in February and in March,” de Mistura said.

“Hence my appeal for a U.S.-Russian urgent initiative, at the highest level, because the legacy of both President Obama and President Putin is linked to the success of what has been a unique initiative which started very well and needs to end very well,” Staffan de Mistura, UN envoy to Syria further appealed.

A video uploaded on social media purports to show the aftermath of a barrel bomb attack on the outskirts of Aleppo, in the north of Syria.

Dozens of people have died there this week as fighting rages between rebels and government forces.

Over the past two days, the Syrian conflict has killed on average one civilian every 25 minutes, according to the UN.