GENEVA, February 10 (RIA Novosti) – Syrian diplomats ruled out the possibility of discussing whether President Bashar Assad should resign, during the second round of international peace talks, which began in Geneva on Monday.
“Naturally, we are not going to discuss Assad’s resignation. This issue is not on the agenda, and has never been. Tell everyone who want to see him leave that they are just wasting our time,” Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad said.
The Syrian government and the opposition resumed UN-hosted talks in Geneva on Monday after a 10-day break.
The rival delegations are based in different halls and contact each other only with UN intermediaries and Arab league envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.
A three-party meeting of diplomats from Russia, the United States and the UN will be held on the sidelines of the conference on Thursday.
Brakhimi earlier described the first round of talks, which ended on January 31, as “difficult” and said little progress was made.
The sides have been blaming the stalemate on each other, with the opposition accusing the government of unwillingness to negotiate toward a transitional government, while Assad’s supporters want a more moderate opposition to be included in the delegation.
