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Diplomat points to certain results in Geneva talks on Syria

A Russian diplomat has noted that a large-scale work on achieving settlement in Syria will continue

GENEVA, May 19. /TASS/. The round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, which is ending on Friday, brought certain results during the discussion on constitutional issues, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told reporters.

"This round of intra-Syrian talks under the UN auspices has not been in vain," Gatilov said.

The sides supported the proposal of Staffan de Mistura, the UN’s special envoy for Syria, to start discussing constitutional and legal issues, he said.

Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told TASS that he had not expected any tangible results of this round of talks in the Swiss city.

Bogdanov noted that a large-scale work on achieving settlement in Syria will continue.

The talks, which began on May 16, focused on four issues, namely Syria’s governance, new constitution, preparations for elections and war on terror, Bogdanov said. "In my opinion, there are two more issues - social and economic recovery of Syria and the return of a huge number of Syrian refugees who are outside their native country." "Certainly, we should deal with this also," he stressed.

The diplomat said the representatives of the government delegation and the opposition have different approaches to the priority of these issues and "the goal of de Mistura is to reach a compromise."

Syria strikes 

Washington’s airstrike on the pro-government forces in Syria is absolutely unacceptable and violates the country’s sovereignty, Gennady Gatilov said:

"This is absolutely unacceptable and is the violation of Syria’s sovereignty."

The diplomat noted that the airstrike of the US-led coalition on the pro-government forces in Syria on May 18 has nothing to do with the war on terror. "Any military actions, which result in the deterioration of situation in Syria, have an impact on the political process," Gatilov said.

The Air Force of the US-led international anti-terrorist coalition delivered a strike on the units of pro-government forces in Syria, which were in the de-escalation zone to the north-west of At Tanf. The coalition headquarters said these units posed a threat to the US and its partners.