Iraq News

Syria regime still unsure on return to Geneva talks

Syrian regime negotiators were on Monday (December 4th) still unsure whether they would return to continue peace talks in Geneva, after they flew back to Damascus this weekend.

The regime’s chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari on Friday said his team would go home to Syria and that "Damascus will decide" whether they would return to the UN-backed talks, AFP reported.

"For the time being there has been no final decision. Damascus is still thinking about the feasibility of its participation," a regime source said. "As soon as a decision is reached, it will be made public through the usual diplomatic channels."

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the opposition delegation, Yahia al-Aridi, said his side's chief Nasr al-Hariri would be back in Geneva on Monday evening.

The office of UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura, who is mediating the talks, made no announcements Monday on the planned return to negotiations.

De Mistura had said the negotiations would resume Tuesday.

But after meeting with de Mistura on Friday, al-Jaafari said there were "big problems in this round of talks".

The opposition, united in one delegation for the first time, has defied calls to give up on its demand that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad step down.

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