MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The intra-Syrian negotiations mediated by the United Nations should be resumed as soon as possible, French Ambassador to Moscow Jean-Maurice Ripert said Monday, referring to the postponed talks in Geneva.
"The Syrian talks under the UN auspices should be continued as soon as possible," Ripert told journalists.
The diplomat also stressed that Syria had witnessed a number of war crimes, in particular, the use of chemical weapons, and perpetrators of those crimes should be held responsible.
On January 23-24, representatives of the Syrian government and the armed opposition groups for the first time since the start of conflict in 2011 held negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan. The talks were brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey, which also agreed to establish a trilateral mechanism to monitor the ceasefire. The Astana talks were set to be followed by negotiations in Geneva, scheduled for February 8.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the United Nations had decided to postpone the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva to the end of the month.
