MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. The Syrian government delegation, as well as three opposition groups — the Riyadh-formed HNC, the Moscow-Cairo and the Hmeimim groups — have been taking part in the UN-mediated Geneva talks on peaceful settlement of the conflict.
"Staffan de Mistura's chances [to resume the talks] have increased, as he has currently something to rely on. Though, there is currently 'a pause in negotiations' over a number of reasons. We hope that the special envoy will be able to overcome it in the near future and finally make the governmental and opposition delegations seat at one negotiation table," Churkin told the Russian Izvestia newspaper in an interview, published Monday.
The latest round of the talks took place in Geneva on April 13-27. The HNC walked out of the negotiations, citing the continuous fighting in Syria and the lack of progress on humanitarian issues.
