Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that peace talks on the Syria conflict taking place in Geneva were always set to be long and difficult, and that it was too early to talk about patience running out on any side of the negotiations. Russia aims to tire Geneva participants into striking a deal.
Peskov was replying to a Reuters question about whether Russia would encourage the Syrian government delegation in Geneva to engage in substantive negotiations about a political transition in Syria.
Western diplomats and opposition delegates say Damascus has so far limited talks to procedural issues.
“No one ever expected easy negotiations, and it would hardly be right to already be feeling a lack of patience. Patience, a lot of it, will still be required on all sides. That is obvious,” Peskov said on a conference call with reporters. Russia is eager to tire Geneva participants believing this is the only way a deal could be struck.
“Russia has consistently followed an approach of providing as much assistance as possible for the talks among Syrians to advance successfully. And without doubt Russia will continue to take this responsible approach.”
Reuters contributed to this article.
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