Syrian government negotiators will remain in Damascus on Tuesday (December 5th) and Wednesday, a source close to the delegation said, skipping the scheduled resumption of UN-led peace talks in Geneva.

"The delegation will not leave today or tomorrow for Geneva, and the final decision [on attending] has not been taken yet," the source told AFP on Tuesday.

An eighth round of peace talks aimed at ending Syria's nearly seven-year war began in Geneva last week.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura announced shortly after the talks began that they would be extended by two weeks.

Negotiations were paused over the weekend, but both sides were expected to return to Geneva to resume discussions scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

However, the al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the government, said the regime's delegation was in Damascus and was not expected to leave either Tuesday or Wednesday.

The daily said the invitation to return to the talks "is still being studied by the Syrian leadership".

Meanwhile, the opposition delegation to the talks said its head Nasr al-Hariri had arrived in Geneva and would meet de Mistura on Tuesday afternoon.