Moscow, SANA – Three rounds of discussions were held on Wednesday between the delegation of the Syrian government and that of the opposition figures in the framework of the Russian-hosted consultative meeting in the Russian capital Moscow. The meetings were concluded in the evening, and will resume at 10 am on Thursday.
During the third round, the government’s delegation criticized the opposition delegation for refraining from mentioning the Turkish, Qatari, Saudi, U.S., and Israeli roles in the crisis in Syria.
The delegation said that those who want to take part in inter-Syrian dialogue without foreign interference are welcome to come to Damascus, adding that the Syrian government supports moderate figures, but not the armed so-called “moderate opposition” sponsored by the United States, as all those who bear arms outside the framework of the state are terrorists.
The delegation also voiced solidarity with the Russian government and people in the wake of the terrorist attack on the Russian Embassy in Damascus which took place on Wednesday.
At the beginning of the first round, the participants observed a moment of silence in honor of the souls of Syria’s martyrs, both military members and civilians, upon a request by the government delegation.
Syria’s UN Permanent Representative Bashar al-Jaafari, who is heading the government’s delegation, delivered a speech at the opening of discussions in which he stressed that the consultative meeting should not be a form of grandstanding.
“Our consultative meeting should be a serious platform to reflect the goal of the meeting, which comes amid a lot of suffering, losses and challenges facing our dear homeland,” said al-Jaafari.
He stressed that the Syrian government has since the outset of the crisis been doing everything necessary to protect the citizens and homeland.
The government, he added, “has been open to dialogue with everybody, and has assumed its constitutional responsibilities.”