Lavrov says Geneva talks on Syria continue, no pause

MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/. The intra-Syrian talks in Geneva are ongoing and there is no pause despite the announcement that some members of the Riyadh group have left the Swiss city, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. "The situation at talks in Geneva could have been much better if one opposition delegation had not left Geneva as they say temporarily," he said. "The talks are continuing, and there is no pause." UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura regularly meets with the delegation of the government as well as that of the so-called Moscow-Cairo platform, the Hmeimim group and some independent opposition members, he added. Lavrov reminded that the UN Security Council agreed on a six-month deadline for drafting Syria’s new constitution in line with the proposal of the International Syria Support Group. "We all want this process to take less time," he stressed. "But to reach an agreement within six months or even five or four months one should not slam the door and strike an attitude as some delegates of the so-called Riyadh group did, although Turkey has a decisive influence on them, as everyone knows well," Lavrov said. "So one should not come for talks with ultimatums but should sit down at the negotiating table and reach an agreement," he said. The representatives of the Riyadh group, the High Negotiations Committee, who announced that they take a pause at the Geneva talks on April 18, fail to meet the demands of the UN, he added. Read more