"While the homework that the ISSG participants took upon themselves remains incomplete, a ministerial meeting would be counterproductive, from our perspective. That would turn the ISSG, a body geared at offering real help to Syrians in resolving Syria's crisis, into a discussion club," Zakharova said in a statement published on the ministry's website.
Zakharova's statement comes in response to US Secretary of State John Kerry's proposal to convene a ISSG ministers' meeting in New York on December 18-19. The ISSG held its last round of peace talks on November 14 in Vienna, where the group agreed to ensure a political transition in Syria, based on the 2012 Geneva communique.
Consensus decision making is necessary for the peace talks to be productive, Zakharova said, stressing that all participants in the Vienna format talks must be in attendance. The ISSG decisions must be fulfilled, Zakharova added.
Key work that remains to be completed includes Jordan's commitment to oversee the compilation of intelligence on terrorist groups, as well as United Nations and Arab League Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura efforts to assemble a truly representative Syrian opposition delegation, as per the 2012 Geneva communique.
During the latest Vienna meeting, international mediators agreed to hold negotiations on the settlement of the Syrian crisis by January 1, 2016. The participating states set a six-month timeframe for Syria to form an interim unity government, while stipulating that elections in Syria should be held within 18 months.
