Damascus blamed for Geneva II talks failure

The government of President Bashar Al-Assad is to blame for the failure to make headway at peace talks in Geneva, said a statement by the Friends of Syria Group here Saturday. The Friends of Syria, an alliance of mainly Western and Gulf Arab countries, met in Geneva on Friday, shortly after the first round of talks ended and called on Assad not to obstruct further rounds of talks. "The regime is responsible for the lack of real progress in the first round of negotiations. It must not further obstruct substantial negotiations and it must engage constructively in the second round of negotiations," the group said in a statement. The group lauded the Syrian opposition's constructive approach during the first round of the talks. Source: KUNA