Syria says sovereignty not negotiable with friends, enemies

Syria's sovereignty not negotiable either with friends or enemies, the Syrian information minister said on Sunday, in apparent response to the outcome of the Vienna talks a day earlier.

The Vienna talks included an international consensus on a time table of establishing a transition government of Syria and holding an election within 18 months.

Speaking to reporters in Damascus, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said the Syrian government has to study the outcome of the Vienna talks before giving a stance.

"It's early to comment on the details as this is a political matter that concerns the country, and the Syrian people," al-Zoubi said.

The Syrian government has always believed in the political solution to end the Syrian crisis, but it should respect the national sovereignty of Syria, particularly the option to decide the nature of Syria's political system and the country's leadership, the minister added.

On Saturday, world major states and regional powers agreed on a time table of establishing a transition government of Syria, and to hold an election within 18 months, but failed to bridge gaps over the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

After the one-day meeting in Vienna, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters that participants of the talks agreed to start immediate talks with opposition groups in Syria, but the talks could be difficult.

The remarks are echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Lavrov also said after the transition political process within six months, the election would be held within 18 months, and led by the Syrian people.

According to a joint statement released by the United Nations, the talks between different sides in Syria should establish "credible, inclusive and nonsectarian" transitional government that would set a schedule for drafting a new constitution in six months, then a UN-supervised election would be held within 18 months.

Kerry also announced that the talks agreed on a date, Jan. 1, 2016, for starting talks between al-Assad's government and the opposition.

It's clear that the Vienna talks has made some progress over ending the ongoing crisis in Syria, but failed to bridge gaps over the role and future of Assad.

Lavrov said Russia and the United States are keeping in touch to prevent conflict in Syria, as both sides have deployed military forces in the region.

However, the two sides still have differences over the Russian military operation in Syria, as Washington said Moscow is attacking anti-Assad force while Russia emphasized they are fighting terrorism.

Meanwhile, al-Zoubi stressed that his government is "fully committed" to its agreements with UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, about joining the working groups to discuss solutions to the Syrian crisis.

During his last visit to Syria, Mistura said his working groups are going to be launched soon.

In July, Mistura put forth the initiative before the UN Security Council, which calls for consultations and discussions with Syrian parties in four thematic working groups.

"The working Groups are intended to provide Syrians with a platform to address in-depth themes that are certainly not new, but have lacked to date sustained intra-Syrian discussion," he said in July.

Mistura hoped the outcome of the discussions could eventually set the stage for a Syrian agreement to end the conflict on the basis of the Geneva Communique, which was agreed upon in 2012.

The communique sets key steps for transition, including the establishment of a transitional governing body that includes members of the current government and the opposition, an inclusive national dialogue, and a review of the current constitution and legal system. Endit