Russian Foreign Ministry readying for inter-Syrian contacts in Moscow, meeting date so far unknown - Bogdanov
MOSCOW. Nov 9 (Interfax) - A meeting between Syrian opposition members and government officials in Moscow is being prepared but the event is unlikely to take place this week, Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East and North Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has said.
"We are preparing a meeting between representatives of the Syrian opposition and the government. Invitations have yet to be sent because we do not know the date and the format of this meeting; our bilateral contacts with the government and various opposition groups, both domestic and external, are being maintained on a practically daily basis," he told Interfax.
As to whether such contact may occur before the end of this week, he said, "This week is for the Vienna meeting."
"We are inviting them [opposition members] to meet with the Syrian government and are encouraging them to start talking with each other, so this is not up to us; we are holding Russian-Syrian contacts and we would like Syrian-Syrian contacts to be held," Bogdanov said.
"In addition, contacts are being maintained in Cairo in coordination with us; we are maintaining contacts with Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General Staffan de Mistura and the Vienna meeting is being prepared at the same time," the Russian diplomat said.
Speaking of the invitation of members of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces to Moscow, Bogdanov said such contacts were being maintained via the Russian mission to Istanbul.
It was reported earlier that Syrian opposition members and government representatives might hold consultations in Moscow before the end of this week.