(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The UN Special Envoy for Syria said after meeting representatives of the US, Russia and other major powers yesterday that Syria peace talks were still planned to start in Geneva on Jan. 25.
Staffan de Mistura told reporters they had discussed access to the government-besieged town of Madaya, where the first aid deliveries were made on Monday to starving civilians after three months.
"This meeting was essential in order to move forward on the Geneva talks, and there are issues still, and very much at stake, that's why I needed to consult them," he said.
Assistant US Secretary of State Anne Patterson said the talks were still "on track" for Jan. 25 and she had had a "good conversation" with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and senior officials from Britain, China and France.
"Everyone's primary concern is humanitarian access given some of the dire situations that are taking place inside of Syria," Patterson told reporters.
De Mistura's office issued a statement saying that officials from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council had agreed to push for "sustained and unimpeded access to a number of besieged areas" in Syria's civil war.
"The Special Envoy and his team will continue working hard to issue the invitations in order to ensure maximum inclusivity, with a view to starting the intra-Syrian Geneva Talks on 25 January," it said.
The opposition council told de Mistura that the Damascus government would have to take goodwill steps, including a prisoner release, before they would go to negotiations.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Twitter that Gatilov would meet representatives of various opposition groups today. It also said the international powers needed to do more work to agree lists of groups to be regarded as terrorists.
Patterson said the US and Russia were working "very assiduously" on the question of defining terrorist groups. They had been discussing "the terrorism issue in the whole Syria-Iraq corridor" for months, and military and intelligence contacts were continuing.
Rebels reject talks unless resolution implemented
Syrian rebel groups said yesterday they would not take part in peace talks scheduled this month unless humanitarian articles in the latest UN resolution were implemented.
The groups, which include the powerful Islam Army, mentioned articles 12 and 13 of a resolution that was passed late last year, which calls on the sides in Syria's civil war to allow humanitarian access to all in need and cease attacks on civilians.
"We consider that implementing these articles is self-evident and a human right," they said in a statement.
"We do not accept any compromise on it under any justification or circumstances."
They also called on an opposition council set up to oversee negotiations, expected to start on Jan. 25 in Geneva, "to be steadfast in its honourable position in refusing to enter into any political solutions imposed through massacres".
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.