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Syrian foreign minister says government ready for peace talks

By Andrew V. Pestano
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said the government is ready to participate in the planned Geneva peace talks, warning against "foreign interference." Peace talks could begin in January. The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously approved the peace proposal, which also calls for a ceasefire between Syrian forces and rebel groups. Photo by SANA
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said the government is ready to participate in the planned Geneva peace talks, warning against "foreign interference." Peace talks could begin in January. The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously approved the peace proposal, which also calls for a ceasefire between Syrian forces and rebel groups. Photo by SANA | License Photo

DAMASCUS, Syria, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said the government is ready to participate in the planned Geneva peace talks, warning against "foreign interference."

Muallem made the comments nearly a week after the United Nations Security Council approved a plan for an international peace process hoping to end the Syrian civil war, VOA News reported. He said a Syrian delegation will be prepared after it receives a list of the members of the opposition's delegation.

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Peace talks could begin in January. The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously approved the peace proposal, which also calls for a ceasefire between Syrian forces and rebel groups.

Syria has been blighted by a complex civil war in which the Islamic State, the Syrian government and multiple Syrian rebel groups fight for control of territory, causing a mass exodus of migrants seeking refuge elsewhere.

RELATED Amnesty: Russian airstrikes in Syria killed 200 civilians; possible war crimes

More than 3 million Syrians have fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq and more than 1 million have reached several countries of the European Union, creating a migrant crisis that's straining economies attempting to cope with the influx of asylum-seekers. More than 25,000 people have died in the conflict.

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