GENEVA (Sputnik) – UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has officially opened the new round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva at a welcoming reception with participation of all Syrian sides and the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), a Sputnik correspondent reported.
The opening ceremony is attended by head of the Syrian government delegation Bashar Jaafari, head of the High Negotiations Committee delegation Nasr Hariri, leaders of Cairo and Moscow platforms Jihad Makdissi and Qadri Jamil, as well as representatives of other opposition groups.
Russia and the United States are co-chairs of the ISSG.
Such format of the welcoming reception can be seen as a first step in the direction of the direct talks between opposition and government, much expected at this round of talks.
