Moscow, July 17 (Xinhua-ANI): Russia proposed to hold a new round of talks among members of the Action Group on Syria in Moscow late this month, said a senior Russian diplomat on Tuesday.
The proposal was put forward during talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN-Arab League joint special envoy Kofi Annan, said Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov.
"Both sides pointed out that the situation in Syria is unacceptable. The Geneva dynamic must be maintained. For that, we offered to call an Action Group in Moscow in the end of July at senior officials level," Gatilov said.
During their Monday talks, the two also focused on ways to implement the Geneva accord reached by world powers on June 30.
Moscow asked Annan to work with both external players and Syrian opposition groups for the crisis settlement process. The two sides did not discuss the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Gatilov added.
Annan supported Russia's proposal of extending the UN monitoring mission in Syria which would expire on July 21, said Gatilov.
"The situation concerning extension of the UN presence in Syria was discussed. We believe it plays an important and constructive role in stabilizing the situation," Gatilov said, adding that Annan shared this opinion.
Moscow had previously threatened to block a new Western-drafted resolution of the UN Security Council on extending the monitoring mission in Syria if it included sanctions against Syria.
Annan, who is visiting Moscow for a second time in four months, plans to meet President Vladimir Putin later on Tuesday.
According to the Kremlin press service, Putin plans to reiterate his support for Annan's peace plan that emphasizes political and diplomatic settlement of the crisis in Syria.
Late last month, key world powers and some Arab nations gathered in Geneva for an international meeting on Syria and agreed on a roadmap for a Syrian-led transition to end the 16-month-long conflict. (Xinhua-ANI)
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