Damascus Will Back Syrian Peace Talks on Condition of No External Interference

Damascus is ready to support the Syrian peace talks on condition that the foreign states will refrain from meddling in the negotiations, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Sunday after negotiations with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) – Earlier on Sunday, De Mistura arrived in Damascus to discuss with Muallem the situation in Syria, in particular the crisis in Aleppo, eastern parts of which are occupied by the militants.

"We back any intra-Syrian meeting provided external non-interference in the dialogue in the future," Muallem told reporters.

Muallem added that there was no difference for the Syrian government whether to hold the next round of the talks in Damascus or in Geneva.

The previous round of the intra-Syrian negotiations under the UN auspices took place in April 13-27 in Geneva, however, it did not result in any agreements on Syrian crisis settlement.

The time frame for the next round of talks on Syrian reconciliation was expected to be defined at the meeting of the International Syria Support Group on September 22, but it did not happen.

The International Syria Support Group, co-chaired by the United States and Russia, was formed in November 2015 — shortly after the beginning of the Syria peace talks — as a panel of countries seeking to end the bloodshed in Syria.