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Lavrov says Russia supports initiative to hold intra-Syrian talks in Damascus

The Russian top diplomat notes the UN has been sabotaging Security Council Resolution 2254, saying that inclusive intra-Syrian talks should be held without preconditions, for more than six months now

MINSK, November 22. /TASS/. Russia supports an initiative to hold the intra-Syrian talks in Damascus, considering that the contacts in Geneva have stopped, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"We support the initiative to hold such a meeting in Damascus. I think the Syrian government will agree with that," he said.

"The UN, namely, its special envoy Staffan de Mistura, has sabotaged UN Security Council Resolution 2254 for more than six months now. This resolution says that inclusive intra-Syrian talks should be held without preconditions. Probably, under these circumstances patriotically-minded opposition members and the Syrian government should seize the initiative. There seems to be no alternative," Lavrov stressed.