(VOVworld) – The United Nations Syrian envoy, Staffan de Mistura, met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow Tuesday to lay the groundwork for upcoming peace talks.

The United Nations Syrian envoy, Staffan de Mistura delivered a speech during a press conference in Geneva, Sweden on March 24th (Photo by: VNA)

The talks will likely resume in Geneva on April 11, but Syrian government will not arrive until after the completion of parliamentary elections in Syria, the UN said Tuesday. De Mistura had previously said he wanted to restart the talks on April 9, but noted there was flexibility in the timeline. He expects to begin on the 11th by meeting with the main opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC).

The talks have been deadlocked over President Assad's political fate. The opposition demands that Assad leave office before any transitional government is created. Assad’s administration says any discussion of his future is off limits.