Syrian govt delegation postpones departure to UN talks in Geneva – report

The Syrian government delegation has postponed its departure to UN-backed peace talks that are due to resume on Tuesday in Geneva, Reuters said, citing a report in pro-government newspaper al-Watan. The office of UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura refused to comment on the travel plans of the delegation. The report cited diplomatic sources in Geneva saying the Syrian government was annoyed by a statement that emerged last week from a Syrian opposition meeting in Riyadh. Syrian opposition groups stuck by a long-standing demand that President Bashar Assad be gone from power before any political transition.