Kazakhstan: UN Envoy Pedersen hopes next Astana format meeting will be in January

M/S UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen walks down stairs in Nur-Sultan
C/U Pedersen talking to other officials
M/S Pedersen
M/S Officials walk down stairs
M/S People talking at tables
W/S People at tables in room
SOT, Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria: "As you know, the problem with the last session was that we couldn't agree on an agenda. As I said, at the time it is natural that we will have a disagreement in a process like this. It would take time, but I do believe that it should be possible for us to agree on an agenda. I know also two co-chairs that communicate to me, their proposals for an agenda. Then we try to work out something together. I have also told them that it will not be possible to call for a new meeting before we have agreed on an agenda. But hopefully it should be possible to do this maybe in January, I don't know. We'll see."
M/S Delegates talking
SOT, Bashar Jaafari, Head of Syrian government delegation (Arabic): "The decision of the Syrian government to free Syrian territory from terrorism is a sovereign Syrian decision. We welcome all those who are helping the Syrian government to achieve that goal. And we do not welcome those who are trying to prevent that goal from happening. That is a firm and final decision by the Syrian government and its allies. Those words reflect not only Syria's point of view. This decision is supported by the agreements reached in Sochi, Astana, and UN Security Council resolutions. And against those who reject the political decision, the political process - I mean those terrorist movements that have been listed by the UN Security Council as terrorist organizations, such as Jabhat al-Nusra, ISIS, Hayyat Tahrir al-Sham and other terrorist organizations - the Syrian government and its allies have the right to wage war against them and destroy them. This is not just about Idlib. But since you asked about Idlib, I can say that there is a decision by the Syrian government to completely free Idlib from the terrorist evil of foreign, jihadist and local origin. This is the final decision".
W/S Delegates
W/S People attending Syrian peace talks
SCRIPT
The UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen expressed the hope that the next Astana format talks will take place in January on the sidelines of Syrian peace talks in Nur-Sultan, formerly Astana, on Wednesday.
"It would take time, but I do believe that it should be possible for us to agree on an agenda. I have also told them that it will not be possible to call for a new meeting before we have agreed on an agenda. But hopefully it should be possible to do this maybe in January", Pedersen said.
The head of the Syrian government Bashar Jaafari stated that the Syrian government had made the sovereign decision "to free Syrian territory from terrorism."
"We welcome all those who are helping the Syrian government to achieve that goal. And we do not welcome those who are trying to prevent that goal from happening. That is a firm and final decision by the Syrian government and its allies," Jaafari added.
Russia, Turkey and Iranian delegations as well as delegations from the Syrian government and Syrian opposition are holding the 14th round of talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital between December 10-11 in order to adopt a joint statement.