GENEVA (Sputnik) — The ambassador said that the delegation of the Syrian government, which will arrive to re-join the ongoing round of the peace talks in Geneva on Sunday, will not enter into direct talks with the opposition as long as they continue laying down preconditions for the talks and insist on a "provocative" Riyadh-2 communique.
READ MORE: Damascus Ready to Talk to Political Solution Advocates — Assad’s Adviser
The representative noted that the government delegation has asked UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura to stop "statements that create a very negative, provocative and irresponsible atmosphere."
"De Mistura promised that provocative statements that lay down preconditions will stop. But they did not stop, they keep repeating them. We made it clear that as long as the other side is 'mining the road' of Geneva-8, we are not going to have direct talks," Aala added.
The departure of the government delegation from Geneva-8 talks last week caused accusations of an "irresponsible" approach of Damascus and its unwillingness to talk by the opposition, however, Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Hussam Edin Aala explained to Sputnik that the departure was planned initially.
"We were told that the round will be till the 2nd of December. We prepared our program and schedule accordingly. That's why we said the round was finished for us, and if de Mistura was planning to hold another one, he should send us new invitations. There were people who tried to make an issue out of it, but we were actually acting according to what we have been told. It was not a sudden decision," he said.
The possibility of direct talks between the Syrian sides is the main intrigue of Geneva-8 talks. The government delegation left on Saturday for consultations in Damascus and will return on December 10. It calls the requirement of President Bashar Assad departure, set in the opposition's Riyadh-2 communique, a precondition and main obstacle for a direct dialogue.
