Syrian military declares temporary cease-fire ahead of talks with rebels

The announcement came after a large Syrian rebel faction in the south said it would not attend the talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana, because the government was not abiding by previous cease-fire agreements.

The two sides have held four previous rounds of talks in Kazakhstan since January in parallel to UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva. Neither process has made much progress.

A cease-fire declared in May, which is built around so- called "de-escalation zones," has been repeatedly violated.

The military announcement, carried on Syrian state media, said the present pause would run until July 6, to "support the peace process and national reconciliation."

Delegates are expected to begin meeting with a UN mediator and other diplomats in Astana on July 4.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad meanwhile questioned the credibility of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, saying the inspectors had failed to visit key sites linked to a nerve gas attack that killed 89 people.

Mekdad dismissed an OPCW report released last week confirming the use of sarin gas on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in April.