Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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Syrian government rejects Qatari, Saudi role in talks: report

 Syrian government rejects Qatari, Saudi role in talks: report

Syria’s deputy foreign minister Faisal Meqdad

Syria’s deputy foreign minister Faisal Meqdad
(Reuters) The participation of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in Syria talks will be discussed once they stop backing militancy, Syria’s deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday, appearing to reject their attendance at forthcoming peace talks.

“Once Qatar and Saudi Arabia halt their support for terrorism we will discuss the matter of their participation in the talks,” Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad was quoted as saying by the Lebanon-based TV station Al-Mayadeen.

Kazakhstan is due to host Syria peace talks next week called for by Russia, Iran and Turkey. Russia and Iran are Assad’s two main allies. Turkey has backed the rebellion against Assad, as have Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Asked why the United States and Saudi Arabia had no direct role in the talks, Iran President Hassan Rouhani said in a news conference on Tuesday: “Some countries are not attending the talks, and their role was destructive. They were helping the terrorists.”

Russia and Iran, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful allies, and Turkey, pushed for the talks in Astana after Syrian government forces won a major victory in capturing eastern Aleppo late last year.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday that Turkey and Russia had decided to invite the United States to the Astana discussions, which begin on Jan. 23.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday he thought it was right to invite the administration of Donald Trump, due to become U.S. president on Friday.

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