[Howell:] There is a glimmer of hope from the Syrian peace talks that are underway in Geneva, Switzerland. The umbrella group representing Syria's rebels, now says it will join the negotiations with the U.N. special envoy. The envoy's goal, a nationwide ceasefire among all factions except ISIS and the Al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front. The rebels had earlier said they would sit out on the talks until the Syrian government agreed to stop attacking civilians. CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is following it all and joins us now live this hour in Geneva. Nic, good to have you with us. So explain to our viewers what those demands are? You know, everything from stopping the bombing to just making sure that aid and food can get to people. What more are they asking for?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Well they're asking for a prisoner release as well particularly focusing on women and children. The humanitarian aid access, we're told that they're up to 18 different communities inside Syria that are cut off, that are essentially being starved at this time and an end for the bomb problem. What the HNC, the High Negotiations Committee is saying this is the collaboration of opposition groups here that range from a former prime ministers, it's a hard core Islamic groups. They are saying that these issues were enshrined in the U.N. resolution that brought about these talks in paragraphs 12 and 13. That's what they say. They say that they come here to get involved in the political process but not to go into the U.N. building perhaps to get into the talks proper. So I asked one of their representatives here Salim al-Muslat. What happens if their demands to get these issues addressed before they're going to talks? What happens if they're not addressed? This is what he told me.
[Salim Al-muslat, High Negotiations Committee Spokesman:] I cannot really, you know, say that we will walk away now until we see the answers from, you know, Mr. de Mistura and the countries that really promised that they will do something about it. But for us it's really important, you know, that, you know, to see this, you know, on ground.
[Robertson:] So specifically so we understand. What precisely are you looking for on that language? And a firmness of guarantees that they can guarantee that the bomb problems can stop, that the food can get through, that the prisoners can be released.
[Al-muslat:] These solve issues are very important to us. You know, they can I believed they can do it. That, you know, they're willing to do it, they can do it.
[Robertson:] So what the High Negotiating Committee is saying is that there will meet this afternoon, they're expecting to meet with Staffan de Mistura the U.N. special representatives that mediate in the talks there. And then they going to face their decisions on what to do next once they heard from state heard from Himmler coming a seven members allegation as small group of people then they're sort of allotted 15 if you will. They're going to decide what to do after they had that first meeting which is likely to be off the U.N. campus if you will under the hotel around here. And of course the Syrian government has already meet with the U.N. representative Staffan de Mistura, they met for about two hours on Friday, so the talks just beginning if you will and they're not up and running properly yet George.
[Howell:] And Nic, I want to push forward on that just a bit more so the talks or a meeting I should say set to happen which is very crucial which is very important. But help our viewers to understand because you didn't following this for quite sometime and understand that delicacy here. How delicate it is to get all these sides to come together and even have this round of peace talks.
[Robertson:] Well I think we can see how delicate it is and how difficult it is that the last time they had peace talk was two years ago. They was here in Geneva and not failed after a couple of weeks the U.N. has special representative at the time said it failed because the Syrian government only engaged to talk about the issue of terrorist not to talk about the issues of transitional government that were important in the opposition. That's what these talks are about. It's talking the high negotiating committee. The opposition group here the past week to decide even if they would show up here they decided to show up and not actually physically go into the U.N. buildings for the talks. So it is delicate there is a possibility that this could break down in the beginning and even if they get passed this stage you still looking ahead to the next couple of weeks to come to see if there is any movement on from the Syrian government, if there is any compromise on the part of the opposition that they have six months for these talks to then get to a new constitution. They're even debating the language, they working to what the transitional government or a government of national unity. But that all of these things sound like demanding but they're very delicate. It's entering forward but its way, way, way too soon to see if there going to be success. And of course when you look at it, two years ago they were essentially on the same position on what is happens since tens of thousands more people that died and many and more than a million migrants fled that conflict and ended up in the surrounding areas.
[Howell:] This is sort of a pie in the sky pictures. So pardon me for putting this forward. But Nic is there even a sense of optimism. Just about this talks even though that the sides have come together, is there a sense of optimism that something can be done.
[Robertson:] You know, I think when we talk to Diplomat here about, you know, the aspirations and why they're doing this right now. They say, well look the Russians are now different though, two years ago. The other Russians are now signed up with political process, they were part of the U.N. Security Council but they called in to play the process that we're in right now. But, you know, they say look if we don't do something then that killing continues and also ISIS gets strong, ISIS and Al-Qaeda were taking advantages in Syria and getting strong. So you have to try and do something. That's a sort of Diplomatic view that surrounds the talks right now. It's not I think everyone knows how tough this is. But the belief is if you don't do something it will only continue and potentially get worst. And we see at the moment how this escalates you have a massive amount of migrants streaming into Europe. It's divisive in Europe, its causing problems there. And also the tensions escalate and ripple throughout the region. Sectarian tensions are much bigger across the region now. Then they were perhaps a couple of years ago, so all of this is at stake, George.
[Howell:] There are so many people who are caught up in the middle of this. There's so much carnage, so much death and destruction, all resting upon whether these sites can come together and find peace in Syria. Nic Robertson following it all for us in Geneva. Nic, thank you. These peace talks are desperately needed for many of those people who are dying in Syria. As particularly true for the city of Madaya where the former resort town is now under siege. Doctors Without Borders says 16 people have starved to death there since the U.N. convoys brought food and supplies earlier this month. It also says there still are 320 cases of malnutrition, 32 of which are severe. The U.N. estimates 400,000 Syrians are in dire need of food. MSF says that critically ill people in Madaya should have been evacuated weeks ago. Our Nick Paton Walsh shows as the terrible situation inside that besieged Syrian town.
[Nick Paton Walsh, Senior International Correspondent:] ISIS has now gripped the town of Madaya, adding to the siege and starvation gnawing away of what's left of life here. Aid came briefly along with global attention but now it's gone and the weak here are still said to be dying.
[Unidentified Male:] [Speaking foreign language].
[Walsh:] This is Dr. Mohammed. He shows us Fawaz Saif Alden, age 50, so malnourished he can't cope with food, only drip feeds. Held here, almost a ghost, edging towards death. Like his granddaughter, Lama, just 9 months old, she seems dazed. "For more than seven months, we've not had electricity," explains the doctor, "we've nearly run out of wood." Now plastic is often burned. The weakest, immobile, activist Abdullah shows us.
[Abdullah , Activist:] This child here is very ill. He eats leaves, tree leaves, and he get sick and ill and his stomach, his stomach is really, really hurting. He needs immediately go to hospital outside in Madaya.
[Walsh:] The little food here probably won't save the acutely malnourished who need urgent medical help, but it is handed out slowly.
[Unidentified Male:] And actually, if they don't bring food for people, the people here will die because of starvation.
[Walsh:] Here, in a makeshift hospital struggling to keep the lights on, is where they come, hoping to find help. "In the past 10 days since the arrival of relief supplies," the doctor says, "there have been 10 deaths. Scores of people have arrived at the clinic unconscious. We have around 500 sick people in the town that need hospital treatment." Syrian rebels have said they won't talk peace until sieges like these by the government are lifted. The rebels, too, are besieging other towns in the north. Hunger, a weapon of war, leaving 400,000 Syrians without the food they need, neither truly alive nor dead. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Beirut.
[Howell:] On to Turkey now, which is condemning what it calls a violation of its airspace by Russian warplane. The foreign administry says, the jet was warned in both English and Russian before it cross into Turkish airspace from Syria on Friday. Russia denies the allegations calling them "unfounded propaganda". Turkey's military shutdown a Russian plane as you all remember in November for entering its airspace killing one crew member. Turkish official say the plane ignored several warnings. They claim that Russia disputes. Now we turn to you Derek Van Dam, here and severe weather that is threatening the
[U.k. Derek Van Dam, Cnn Weather Anchor:] Yeah, that's right George. The U.K. Met Service actually issuing AMBER Alerts for the north western sections of the North West of the United Kingdom for severe wind gust. And in fact Edinburgh had a wind gust of over 100 kilometers per hour on Friday and a series of storm that continues to impact the region. There's yet another one coming late tonight and end in today on Monday. Here someone who's enjoying the wind George. Yeah, I like this one. Dog gone windy in Scotland, that's the best way to put it, right. At least someone can enjoy it, of course for the rest of us, it quite amuse us. Downing power lines and just interrupting travel and transportation across to U.K. Guess what, there's another storm headed our way and it's going to bring the same concerns that we received on Friday with that strong are of low pressure that came through. Look at the forecast wind gust for the day on Monday, Dublin to Liverpool, even London and Edinburgh anywhere between 50 to upwards of 90 kilometers per hour. And of course you get those high elevations peaks and you could easily top 120 kilometers per hour. That's a the potential to have hurricanes force winds for those high elevation areas. Nonetheless, it is going to be blustery and it's all thanks to this deepening area of low pressure that is forward across the Atlantic. There will be a surge of warmth across southern sections of U.K. so if you're in London, enjoy a warm day. But of course it will be windy, maybe a few showers passing through and then a better drop in our temperatures because the cold front will pass through very quickly. Look at those of pressure grade, those white solid lines that's indicator of a meteorologist that there will be wind associated with the system and it will come in quite fierce. And there's the potential of even snowfall as well. So the only part of the world that's expected to see snow, we bring it to the United States now where we're focusing our attention on the Central U.S. not only for the Iowa caucuses taking place on Monday but the potential of blizzard conditions that will form. Thanks for the storm that is going to start to really develop just ease of the rockies. Denver to Kansas City and Chicago, you have the potential of heavy snowfall here it is forming across the four corners. Southern California also receiving rain on Sunday evening and then the cold air drops in behind it changes his precipitation over to the frozen variety. We could easily pick up anywhere between 8 to 12 inches or even locally higher amounts from the rockies through the planes and that includes Iowa. But let's time this out for us because we've got the caucuses on Monday. We do believe here at the CNN Weather Center that the snow will hold off until the polls close at midnight and then into the day and Tuesday. That's when the road starts to slicking up because of the fresh falling snow again 12 to 8 inches of snow possible. Take a look at this I'm going to leave you with this image. George, this is Mars Curiosity Rover taking a selfie.
[Howell:] A selfie.
[Van Dam:] A selfie, did you think that was possible...
[Howell:] Got the angle, right...
[Van Dam:] Here is the proof. Yeah, he is got it all figure it out. I thought this image was kind of cool so I wanted to share it with our viewers. And by that Mars Curiosity Rover by the way has been on the Martian Planet for 900 days now.
[Howell:] Wow.
[Van Dam:] Pretty cool.
[Howell:] Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.
[Van Dam:] You're welcome George.
[Howell:] Now to the U.S. State of California where three inmates who broke out of jail are now back behind bars. This after more than a week on the run, two of the fugitives were arrested Saturday morning in the city of San Francisco. About 600 kilometers or 370 miles from the prison of which they escaped. They were found in the white van after a woman pointed out to police saying that it looked like the one that authorities were searching for. The third inmate turned himself in on Friday. Police say, the trio will be housed in the same jail but this time in a more secure unit. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, the White House hopefuls have been crisscrossing the State of Iowa for weeks now, while Hilary Clinton and Jeb Bush are familiar to many. Can you name the other candidates? We put Iowa a sort of test, next stay with us.