Intra-Syrian Geneva talks delayed until Feb. 20: Diplomats

The new round of negotiations between Syria’s warring sides, which were scheduled to begin early next month, has been postponed until February 20, say sources at the United Nations.

Two unnamed diplomats said UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, had announced the delay in the Geneva talks during a closed meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday.

The delay would give the Syria opposition time to prepare and ensure that the discussions are as inclusive as possible, the diplomats quoted the envoy as saying.

Invitations to the Syria peace talks will be sent out on February 8, De Mistura was further cited as saying.

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a meeting with Syrian opposition groups that the UN-led peace talks would be postponed, without providing any reasons.