JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia will attend important talks aimed at finding a resolution to the Syrian crisis, a Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Arab News on Friday.
The Saudi delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir in talks that will discuss the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo, where regime forces, with the backing of the Russian military, have been bombarding rebels, which has killed many civilians.
The US and Russian foreign ministers agreed to hold talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Saturday to discuss what steps could be taken for the resolution of the conflict, while the US State Department said a second international meeting will take place in London on Sunday to look into the means to stop bloodshed in the war-torn country.
On Friday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had “no special expectations” for the talks, and that Russia does not intend to put forward new initiatives. “Our position in Lausanne will be extremely open; Russia does not intend to put forward new initiatives on the Syrian crisis at Lausanne,” he added.
Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed their participation in the meeting. Lavrov told US media that Turkey and Qatar were also likely to attend the talks.
The issue of Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (JFS) will also be discussed during the talks aimed at halting the spiraling violence.
JFS is one of Syria’s most powerful rebel forces, and under its former name — Al-Nusra Front — it was designated as a terrorist group because of links with Al-Qaeda.
The Lausanne meeting, which will be held with the participation of countries playing a key role in the region, will aim at finding the appropriate means to settle the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Kerry will attend both meetings to discuss “a multilateral approach to resolve the crisis in Syria, including a sustained cessation of violence and the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries,” his spokesman, John Kirby, was quoted by AFP as saying.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Lausanne talks would consider possible further steps to create conditions for the settlement of the Syrian crisis.
Earlier, speaking to CNN, Lavrov said: “We would like to have a meeting in this narrow format, to have a businesslike discussion, not another (UN) General Assembly-like debate.”
Meanwhile, the Syrian High Negotiations Committee representing the opposition said it hoped the meeting would overcome an impasse, the SHNC spokesman Riyad Naasan Agha said.
In the meantime, Syrian and Russian warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes on rebel-held districts of Aleppo on Friday.
— With input from agencies
The Saudi delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir in talks that will discuss the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo, where regime forces, with the backing of the Russian military, have been bombarding rebels, which has killed many civilians.
The US and Russian foreign ministers agreed to hold talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Saturday to discuss what steps could be taken for the resolution of the conflict, while the US State Department said a second international meeting will take place in London on Sunday to look into the means to stop bloodshed in the war-torn country.
On Friday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had “no special expectations” for the talks, and that Russia does not intend to put forward new initiatives. “Our position in Lausanne will be extremely open; Russia does not intend to put forward new initiatives on the Syrian crisis at Lausanne,” he added.
Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed their participation in the meeting. Lavrov told US media that Turkey and Qatar were also likely to attend the talks.
The issue of Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (JFS) will also be discussed during the talks aimed at halting the spiraling violence.
JFS is one of Syria’s most powerful rebel forces, and under its former name — Al-Nusra Front — it was designated as a terrorist group because of links with Al-Qaeda.
The Lausanne meeting, which will be held with the participation of countries playing a key role in the region, will aim at finding the appropriate means to settle the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Kerry will attend both meetings to discuss “a multilateral approach to resolve the crisis in Syria, including a sustained cessation of violence and the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries,” his spokesman, John Kirby, was quoted by AFP as saying.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Lausanne talks would consider possible further steps to create conditions for the settlement of the Syrian crisis.
Earlier, speaking to CNN, Lavrov said: “We would like to have a meeting in this narrow format, to have a businesslike discussion, not another (UN) General Assembly-like debate.”
Meanwhile, the Syrian High Negotiations Committee representing the opposition said it hoped the meeting would overcome an impasse, the SHNC spokesman Riyad Naasan Agha said.
In the meantime, Syrian and Russian warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes on rebel-held districts of Aleppo on Friday.
— With input from agencies
