"Achieving a ceasefire to protect civilians' lives and to ensure humanitarian aid deliveries to different Syrian regions will become the priority of the Astana talks," Assad told the Japanese TBS television broadcaster in an interview.
The intra-Syrian talks in Astana will be held on January 23 following a ceasefire in Syria endorsed by the UN Security Council on December 31.
"We hope the Astana meeting will become a platform for wide-ranging talks between different Syrian conflicting sides," Assad said.
According to the president, the groups, which have joined the ceasefire have to lay down arms and after this their members will get amnesty.
The Astana negotiations, initiated by Russia, Iran and Turkey, are aimed at establishing a platform for peace negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups.
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