Sputnik - Syrian authorities will take part in the next round of the Syrian settlement talks in Geneva, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Monday.


MOSCOW (Sputnik) � Damascus will take part in�the next round�of the talks on�Syrian settlement taking place in�Swiss capital, although it approves neither the opposition groups' reluctance to�believe in�Syrians' interests nor their adherence to�the policy of�the powers, supporting them, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Monday.


On April 29, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said the next round�of the Geneva talks may take place in�mid-May, however, the date had not been set yet. The previous round�took place on�March 23-31.
"We will go to�Geneva when the date of�the next round�of talks is confirmed, but, unfortunately, in�the opposition we do not see dialogue partners who believed in�the Syrian people�s interests," Muallem said during�a press conference.


The opposition groups participating in�the Geneva talks stick to�the policy of�the states which support them, Muallem added, noting that it complicates political settlement process.


The Syrian civil war has been raging for�six years, with�government forces fighting against�both Syrian opposition groups who strive to�overthrow President Bashar Assad, and numerous extremist and terrorist groups such as�Daesh and Jabhat Fatah al Sham, both outlawed in�Russia. Russia, Turkey and Iran are the guarantors of�a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime that came into�force on�December 30, 2016.

Syrian settlement talks take place on�two parallel platforms: the UN-mediated Geneva talks, and the Astana talks, brokered by�Russia, Turkey and Iran. The fourth round�of Astana talks, held on�May 3-4, resulted in�adoption of�memorandum on�establishment of�four safe zones in�Syria. According to�the memorandum, no clashes between�government forces and armed groups should take place in�the zones starting from�May 6.