UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said Syria talks in the Kazakh capital Astana on Friday had agreed on a “working group” for the release of detainees, Reuters reported. He described the decision as a commendable first step towards an arrangement between the warring sides. The envoy also said that Russia’s plan to convene a Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi next month should be assessed by “its ability to contribute to and support the UN-led Geneva talks on ending the war in Syria.”