Syria's government rejects direct talk with opposition in Geneva
(VOVWORLD) -The head of Syria’s government team in Geneva, Bashar Ja’afari, said on Thursday that there will be no dialogue with the opposition as long as it insists on the removal of President Bashar al-Assad.
Bashar Ja’afari, head of Syria’s government team in Geneva (Source: Xinhua/VNA)
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The statement ended the eighth round of the UN-led talks after days of indirect meetings with no progress. Ja’afari slammed the Syrian opposition for its so-called Riyadh communique, issued in Saudi Arabia before the latest round of Syrian talks got underway in Geneva. The communique stated that the opposition’s ultimate goal is to see Assad step down at the start of a political transition. Ja’afari described the statement as “blackmail of the Geneva process” and said “those who drew up the Riyadh communique are the ones who sabotaged this round” of talks.