Post date: Feb 01, 2014 10:54:17 PM
Syrian government delegation refused to hold direct negotiations with the United States at Geneva2 because the U.S. did not apologise for their speech in the opening session of the conference, says Syria's Foreign Minister, Walid al-Mouallem.
S IN AIR (FEBRUARY 1, 2014) (SYRIAN TV) - The Syrian government delegation at the Geneva 2 peace negotiations refused to hold direct talks with the United States because they did not apologise for their speech in the opening session of the conference, Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid al-Mouallem, announced on Saturday (February 1).
In his opening comments at the conference, Kerry said Syria's President Bashar al-Assad "will not be part" of any transitional government."Frankly, they "the Americans", asked to negotiate with us directly in Montreux, but we rejected, I rejected, and demanded an apology from (U.S. Secretary of State John) Kerry first for what he had said," Mouallem told Syrian TV while on a plane travelling back to Syria after the end of the first round of talks with the Syrian opposition.
Washington denied the claims that American diplomats had sought to negotiate directly with their Syrian counterparts.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States had offered to connect with Syrian officials "on a staff level" through the United Nations and Joint Special RepresentativeLakhdar Brahimi
The first round of negotiations finished on Friday (January 31) and Mouallem said the government delegation will be waiting for directions from the Syrian leadership before deciding whether to go back to Geneva on February 10. The foreign minister added that the delegation would be ready to discuss everything if they do return.
"(United Nations envoy Lakhdar) Brahimi has set February 10 for the second round of negotiations, this is his business and his decision," Mouallem said. "We are waiting for the directives (from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad); if the decision is to go back (to Geneva) we will go back and we are ready for the talks from A to Z."
Mouallem also said the Syrian National Coalition should abandon any illusions that the prerogatives of Syrian President would be limited following the peace negotiations.
"I seriously say that if the other party has illusions that a transitional body, or the next government, would limit the prerogatives of the president in contradiction to the current constitution, then this is an illusion that they must abandon before coming (again) to Geneva," he said.
Expectations had always been low for a breakthrough on political issues at the talks, the first between President Bashar al-Assad's representatives and his foes in an almost three-year-old civil war that has killed at least 130,000 Syrians and driven a third of the population from their homes.