Riyadh Conference on Syria Hampers Vienna Reconciliation Plan - Minister

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The recent conference in Riyadh to unify Syrian opposition parties' stances was in defiance of decisions made during Vienna negotiations, Syrian Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs Ali Haidar told Sputnik.

The three-day conference in Riyadh concluded on Thursday. The next international talks on Syria are scheduled for the beginning of 2016.

"During the Vienna meeting [UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan] de Mistura, not Saudi Arabia was tasked with forming a Syrian opposition delegation. The aim of the Riyadh conference was to hamper the implementation of the plan adopted in Vienna," the minister said.

"Saudi Arabia cannot oversee the political process in Syria as it is a party to the conflict that supports armed groups."

"The Syrian state said over two years ago that it supported a political solution and dialogue. And we have participated in the Geneva conference despite our complaints regarding certain participants, and we have participated in the Moscow talks. Mechanisms are the problem, not the principle of dialogue itself. We are ready for dialogue but in accordance with reached agreements," Haidar added.

Syria has been torn by a civil war since 2011, as government forces have been clashing with opposition factions and extremist groups operating in the country.

The last Vienna-format meeting, held on November 14, ended in a decision to uphold the Geneva 2012 communique on a peaceful political solution to the Syrian conflict and bring together the Syrian government and the opposition forces for peace talks by January 1, 2016. Mediators agreed on a six-month timeframe for Syria to form an interim unity government with an election to be held within 18 months.