US says it wants Syrian government to negotiate 'seriously' with opposition

Participants are seen during the fourth round of the intra-Syrian talks, marking the first time the Syrian regime and opposition delegations have returned to negotiations in Geneva on February 23, 2017 [Mustafa Yalçın / Anadolu Agency]

The United States on Friday urged supporters of the Syrian government to press it to “participate fully” in negotiations with the opposition, saying a lack of a political resolution in the war-torn country threatened indefinite instability.

In a statement reported by Reuters, Heather Nauert, a spokeswoman for the State Department said the United States wanted the government’s supporters “to use their leverage to urge the regime to participate fully in tangible negotiations with the opposition in Geneva”, adding:

The United States urges all parties to work seriously toward a political resolution to this conflict or face continued isolation and instability indefinitely in Syria

A United Nations negotiator characterised a round of peace talks that ended on Thursday as a missed opportunity, and he laid most of the blame at the feet of Syria’s government.

Read: France says Syria’s Assad not looking for peace, committing mass crimes

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