Jordan, Saudis Failure to Prepare Terror Groups List Triggers Violence

Jordan and Saudi Arabia’s failure to make up a unified list of terrorist groups in compliance with the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) led to the current spate of violence in Syria, head of the Syrian government delegation at proximity talks in Geneva Bashar Jaafari said Monday.

GENEVA (Sputnik) — The International Syria Support Group (ISSG), an international format aimed to resolve the Syrian issues, was formed in November 2015 shortly after the beginning of the Syrian talks in Vienna.

"It all started with the fact that the Vienna Group [ISSG] has commissioned Saudi Arabia to make up a list of those who is in the opposition and who is not, and Jordan to compile a list of those who is a terrorist and who is not. As a result, both governments have failed to fulfill their commitments and this issue was transferred to Geneva," Jaafari stated at a press briefing.

This has resulted in the participation of terrorist groups within the delegations in the Swiss city, he noted.

"And today we pay for the stance of Saudi Arabia and Jordan," Jaafari stressed.

The format currently involves Russia, the Arab League countries, the European Union and some of its member states, China, Iran, Turkey, the United Nations and the United States.