During a statement to journalists at Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus on Saturday, Ramzy pointed out that he held a lengthy consultations session with Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad in the presence of the head of the Syrian Arab Republic delegation to the intra-Syrian dialogue in Geneva Bashar al-Jaafari in the framework of the continuing consultation with the Syrian government regarding the United Nation efforts.
He underlined the importance of this meeting as it comes after the Astana meeting and prior to Geneva meeting, noting that the establishment of de-escalation zone in south of Syria which was announced on Friday is a positive development.
“This is a step in the right direction,” Ramzy said, adding that comes in the framework of the UN’s endeavors to reduce tension, de- escalate, and help create the appropriate environment for talks, expressing hope that an agreements would be reached for other parts of Syria as well to support the political process.
In response to a question on whether the outcome of Astana 5 meeting means that the US was strongly involved in the Syrian peace process, Ramzy said that the statements made by US Secretary of State Rex Tilerson on the discussion with the Russian side following the meeting referred to “the political dimension of the settlement in Syria.”
Ramzy affirmed that the US and the Russian sides have discussed the de-escalation zone for weeks in parallel with talks on the other three de-escalation zones, and that two major sides have agreed and this is positive, while the others zones have different considerations.
SANA/MNA