WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Trump administration remains totally committed to diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict, a senior White House official told reporters.
"I know that we’re fully supportive of the Geneva process," the official said on Wednesday when asked if the Trump administration would consider joining the latest round of negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Thus far, the White House has declined to join the talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, which are being held with representatives from Russia, Turkey and Iran.
The official, who briefed reporters on condition that he not be cited by name, noted that the situation in Syria has changed over the past two weeks.
"What we would like to do is use this opportunity for a re-evaluation of all the parties to understand better how to use this new situation to move more rapidly towards a sustainable political outcome in Syria," the official stated.
Moreover, the official said that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will decide when proper venue should the United States become directly involved in diplomatic negotiations.
The official also noted that despite the Trump administration’s condemnation of Russia’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad there is a "tremendous opportunity" for Russia to help resolve the crisis in Syria, and that the time is right for Moscow to recalculate how they can best protect their interests in the region.
"We owe it to humanity… to give Russia an avenue to play a role," the official said.
The Syrian conflict has been discussed at parallel talks in the Swiss city of Geneva and the Kazakh capital of Astana.
The fifth round of the UN-mediated Geneva negotiations on Syrian reconciliation concluded on March 31 without a breakthrough.
Astana provides a separate platform for Syrian peace talks, with three rounds of negotiations since the beginning of the year.
