04 November 2015•Update: 05 November 2015
WASHINGTON
An invitation to the Syrian regime and opposition delegates to talks in Moscow is “premature” before an international consensus can be established from meetings in Vienna, a U.S. official said Tuesday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russian media Tuesday that Russia would make the invitation for a consultation meeting.
“We think that it is premature to have that meeting,” said State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Tradeau. “We think that there is a place for the Syrian opposition and a time for the Syrian opposition to gather to have those conversations.”
Pointing out that opposition groups will also be included at some point, she added: “We don't believe we're ready for the discussions until the international community can reach a greater consensus about the path forward.”
She said discussions in Vienna are “more promising” than previous talks on Syria.
American, Turkish, Russian, and Saudi diplomats met last week for a second time in the Austrian capital where several other European and Arab countries and Iran participated.
The Vienna talks were pioneered by Russia in hopes of ending the civil war in Syria that has led to the deaths of more than 250,000 victims and more than half of the population displaced.
Previous talks in Geneva failed to solve the humanitarian tragedy in Syria.
