Syrian deputy premier Qadri Jamil said that international peace conference on Syria could be held next month.

Syrian deputy premier Qadri Jamil said that international peace conference on Syria could be held next month.

Speaking in Moscow, Jamil said proposed talks in Geneva could take place "November 23-24".
"We are closer than ever to holding the Geneva-2," Jamil told reporters after talks at the Russian foreign ministry, adding that the timeframe for the conference was "hypothetical."

Russia and Western nations, led by the United States, have been pushing for talks between the Syrian government and foreign-backed opposition on a negotiated solution to the conflict.

The conference, dubbed Geneva-2, was first mooted by the United States and Russia in May but has been repeatedly put off.
The Syrian opposition is divided on attending the conference, and the Damascus says that armed militants have no place in Geneva 2.

But Jamil said there was "no alternative" to the peace conference and that the absence of parts of the Syrian opposition would not affect the timing or format.

"Today no aspect of the Syrian crisis can be solved without it," he said in remarks translated from Arabic into Russian, adding the talks had to put an end to foreign interference in the conflict.
"This will lead to the launch of a political process and cessation of violence."