MOSCOW, February 18 (RIA Novosti) – The UN envoy on Syria should refrain from blaming only one side for stalled Syrian peace talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.
The second round of US- and Russia-backed Syrian peace talks in Geneva ended with no tangible results on Saturday. No date was set for a third round.
The Russian ministry said in a statement that international efforts to end the “lengthy and ferocious” civil war in Syria “require thorough and consistent work to build trust between the government and the opposition.”
“In this situation, a lot depends on [UN envoy] Lakhdar Brahimi’s activities as an international mediator, who, in line with his mandate, should pursue a policy of neutrality and impartiality, encourage the opponents to search for common ground and promote dialogue and negotiations,” the statement reads.
“Therefore, a special envoy should avoid one-sided accusations as well as blaming one party or the other when negotiations reach a deadlock,” the ministry said.