"Yesterday Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov held consultations with all members of the talks, including Syrian opposition. We would describe the spirit as readiness for dialogue, but a difficult dialogue, because the problem is extremely old and extremely difficult," Vassilenko said.
"We are hoping to help the parties find common ground, strengthen the ceasefire that was reached thanks to Russia and Turkey and create a platform for the resumption of full-scale talks under the UN aegis in Geneva on February 8," he added.
Moreover, it was still unclear, whether the negotiations between the Syrian armed opposition groups and government would be direct.
"This issue is still being considered and it will become clear before the beginning of the talks", Vassilenko said at a briefing.
The Astana talks on Syrian settlement will start in the hotel Rixos President Astana at 07:00 GMT on Monday and are expected to end at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday. The negotiations brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran will be held behind closed doors.
