Tehran, IRNA- Saudi Arabia will host will host a meeting on Syria on Sunday, with the participation of foreign ministers from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) countries, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Britain, Germany, and other countries, news sources reported.
The Riyadh gathering is in continuation of the "Aqaba Meetings" on Syria, which were held in Jordan on December 14, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported.
The foreign minister of the Syrian interim government will be among the participants whereas as the US and Italy will be present there at the level of deputy foreign ministers.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, the Secretary-General of the PGCC, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General are expected as well.
The talks will focus "on Syria in general" including support for the new administration and the possible lifting of sanctions, the official said on condition of anonymity.
A Saudi official was quoted as saying that two meetings are scheduled for Sunday: the first involving Arab nations, and the second bringing together Arab countries alongside other global powers.
Western powers, including the United States and the European Union, imposed sanctions on the government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad after the foreign-backed insurgency gripped the country back in 2011.
The transitional government in Damascus has been lobbying to have sanctions lifted after armed opposition groups under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled the Assad government last m month.
According to IRNA, the foreign ministers of Arab countries and a number of non-Arab countries, who met on December 14 in Jordan, announced their support for a peaceful transfer of power with the participation of all political and social forces in Syria, and emphasized the need to stop any foreign interference there.
At the end of their meeting in Aqaba, the participants stressed the need for a free and unified Syria and issued a joint statement, in which they affirmed their full support for the Syrian people “at this critical moment in their history to build a more hopeful, secure, and peaceful future.”
They also condemned the Zionist regime’s aggression in the buffer zone between the occupied territories and Syria as well as the regime’s incursion into several areas pf the Arab country.
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