ALEPPO, Syria — As the second round of the Geneva II talks gets under way, slow yet perceptible changes are taking place on the ground in Syria. Although nothing concrete was achieved at the first round of talks, that they took place at all, continued without collapsing and then reconvened later is a substantial achievement in itself, at least by this conflict’s standards.

The two sides do not yet see eye to eye on the most divisive matters, and the gulf between their respective expectations still seems insurmountable, but vital discussions about pressing humanitarian issues and confidence-building measures have made progress. The fruit of this progress has been translated on the ground in Homs. The all-important deal to evacuate civilians from its besieged, rebel-held old city was finally put into motion despite the violent attacks Feb. 8-9 on the UN relief convoy by extremists who want to undermine any hint of cooperation, even to assist beleaguered civilians, and who desire to discredit the opposition National Coalition or the government or both, depending on who is responsible for these shameless attacks. Despite encountering some difficulties, it will hopefully be a precedent for more such cooperation.

Meanwhile in Damascus, earlier cease-fires continue to hold, with new ones in early, tentative phases of delicate negotiations, but showing promise nevertheless. The Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp is one of the more complex areas, but vital deliveries of humanitarian aid have managed to get through quite frequently, and it seems the hard-line Islamists are slowly being expelled and sidelined.

In the north of Syria, war rages unabated, and the momentum seems to be a continuation of the status quo, with little sign of any imminent cease-fire deals despite regime media earlier hinting at the possibility. The violent and bloody interfactional fighting between jihadist rebel groups continues, just as regime forces are making slow but steady progress in their campaign to cut off rebel strongholds and wrest back control of the strategic city of Aleppo. The campaign, pushing toward the Marjeh area with unrelenting barrel bombing, is forcing defenseless civilians to flee their homes and evacuate to the relative safety of nearby rural towns or the regime-held western areas, while others make a beeline for Turkey and the refugee camps on that side of the border.