MNA� Iran�s deputy FM Hossein Jaberi Ansari and UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de�Mistura held a bilateral meeting Sun. night ahead of the Astana talks.


Staffan de�Mistura held talks late Sunday with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab-African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari who also headed the Iranian delegation to the Astana talks.

During the meeting, Jaberi Ansari referred to the measures and consultations between Iran, Russia and Turkey for a successful holding of the Astana talks, and highlighted the need for a more active role from the United Nations on facilitation of Syrian-Syrian dialogues.

�Iran-Russia-Turkey tripartite meeting in Astana is not a replacement for the International Syria Support Group (ISSG),� he stressed.

The UN envoy, for his part, underscored readiness on the part of the United Nations for facilitating peace talks between the Syrian government and the armed opposition groups, expressing hope that the Astana talks would lead to the strengthening of the ceasefire and providing the necessary conditions for achieving a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

The Astana talks on�Syrian settlement will be held behind�closed doors at�Rixos President Astana Hotel on�January 23 with the Syrian armed opposition groups and to continue on�January 24 with the Syrian political opposition. Iran, Russia, Turkey as well as UN envoy for Syria and US ambassador to Kazakhstan will attend the talks as observers.