Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who met with United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on Wednesday, said the success of peace talks was tied to “stopping support for terrorist groups.”
He was quoted on state television as saying “the success of any political solution is tied to stopping support for terrorist groups and pressuring their patron states.” It was not clear if he was speaking to Brahimi.
Wednesday’s meeting is the first between the pair since Brahimi's last visit to Syria in December last year.
Brahimi arrived in Damascus on Monday, as part of the next leg of his regional tour to garner support for a peace conference on Syria.
Meanwhile, Brahimi has expressed hope that Saudi Arabia will take part in proposed peace talks to end the raging conflict, his spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Brahimi “appreciates the role the [Saudi] kingdom can play in giving the peace process the push it needs,” Khawla Matar told AFP.
