WASHINGTON, January 23 (Sputnik) — Washington is not part of the upcoming intra-Syrian talks in Moscow next week, but welcomes any efforts to solve the ongoing crisis in the country, spokesperson for the US Department of State Jen Psaki said during a press briefing.
“This is a Russian-led initiative with Syrians. At this time the United States has not been invited to participate, nor we have been involved in the planning,” Psaki stated on Thursday, adding that the meeting is not something Washington is angling for an invite to. “Time will tell whether this meeting is a form that will make any progress on that front.”
Syria’s government and several Syrian opposition leaders are set to meet in Moscow on January 26 for four-day talks aimed at reviving peace negotiations, after rounds of Geneva talks a year ago failed to put an end to the ongoing turmoil in the country.
“We welcome any effort to make progress toward addressing Syrian core grievances, and anything that would produce a sustainable solution to the conflict,” Psaki emphasized.
The Syrian government officials, representatives from internal opposition parties and UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura are expected to participate in the talks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that there are no plans for signing any documents after the negotiations. Lavrov also noted that Russia won’t have official representatives at the meeting, and the discussions will be held by the Syrians themselves.
Syrian President Bashar Assad said last week the conflicting parties were going to discuss future negotiations aimed at settling the Syrian conflict.
Civil war between forces loyal to the Syrian government and various rebel groups, including Islamic extremists, has killed over 200,000 people since it began in 2011, according to UN estimates. IS jihadists have seized vast areas across Iraq and neighboring Syria, proclaiming a caliphate «state» in June 2014. Later the same year, the US-led coalition started launching airstrikes against IS targets.
Previously, talks between the Bashar Assad government and the Syrian opposition were held in 2012 and 2014 in Geneva, but the negotiating parties did not reach an agreement.
