Qatar denies receiving invite to Astana talks on Syria

Qatar said on Thursday it had not received an invite to talks on the Syria conflict to take place in the Kazakh capital Astana later this month, state media said.

Earlier on Thursday a Qatari Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Doha had been invited to the talks.

“An official source at Qatar’s Foreign Ministry denies that Qatar received an invitation to participate in the Syrian crisis talks to be hosted in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan this month,” said a statement carried by Qatar News Agency.

#Syria rejects #Qatar and #Saudi role in #Astana talks https://t.co/2cYo0oiyHs | #peace

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) January 19, 2017

Qatar is a backer of rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, working alongside Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Western nations in a military aid program overseen by the US Central Intelligence Agency that provides moderate groups with arms and training.

Syria’s deputy foreign minister on Wednesday appeared to reject the participation of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the peace talks saying their attendance would be discussed once they stopped backing militancy.