1st LD Writethru: Syrian parties fail to agree on trust improvement in Moscow consultations

Representatives of the Syrian government and opposition gathering in Moscow for the second round of peace consultations since Monday have so far failed to reach agreement on measures to improve trust between the conflicting sides.

"A discussion was initiated on improvement measures, but the sides failed to reach any kind of agreement because of lack of time and seriousness of the issue," Vitaly Naumkin, mediator of the talks, said Friday.

Although this round of intra-Syrian consultations in Moscow ended Thursday with no pragmatic progress, Naumkin insisted that overall results have given "grounds for substantial optimism about the possibility of a peaceful solution to the crisis."

Naumkin told the press that despite the obvious gaps between the warring sides, this round of talks managed to pass a document assessing the current situation in Syria.

The document, which is entitled the "Moscow Platform", comprises 10 provisions calling for international efforts to stop external intervention in the Syrian crisis, as well as to lift the economic blockade on Syria.

Meanwhile, there seemed to be dissensions within the Syrian opposition camp, as some representatives expressed their discontent over the signed document.

"This document does not inspire hope, but rather destroys it," the Interfax news agency quoted an opposition member as saying.

The first round of intra-Syrian talks was held in Moscow on Jan. 26 to 29. The talks concluded with an agreement called the "Moscow Principles," which called for preserving Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensuring security for all parties and opposing any kind of external intervention. Endi