Syria's information minister says government officials will not discuss handing over power or forming a transitional government at peace talks planned for later this month in Switzerland.
Omran Al-Zoubi's comments Tuesday come hours before a Syrian envoy is to meet Russian and US officials in Geneva to assess prospects for the peace conference between President Bashar Al-Assad's government and the opposition -- which the organisers hope will unite -- as the country's civil war rages into its third year.
Members of exiled and Western-backed opposition group insist Assad be excluded from Syria's future leadership for any talks to take place.
In an interview with Syrian state TV late Monday, Al-Zoubi said Geneva talks are part of a political process, "and not a handover of power or forming a transitional governing body."
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