Damascus, Dec 8 Syria's Interior Minister asserted that a "very strong security cordon" surrounds the outskirts of Damascus and cannot be breached, countering recent claims of shifting front lines amid the ongoing conflict in the country.
In a separate statement, Jassem al-Mahmoud, deputy governor of Rural Damascus province, told Sham FM radio on Saturday that there is no truth to reports of army withdrawals from several towns and villages near the capital. Instead, he said, forces are redeploying and regrouping within the areas rather than pulling back entirely, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Presidency denied what it called "fabrications" spread by foreign media, which had circulated rumors that President Bashar Assad had left Damascus or made sudden foreign trips.
The Presidency stressed that Assad continues to perform his constitutional duties in the capital and that any official information about the president's activities will be released solely through state-run media and the Presidential Office's official channels.
Also on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in Doha that Tehran, Moscow and Ankara have agreed that political talks should begin between the Syrian government and opposition groups, the official news agency IRNA reported.
He made the remarks in an address to reporters while elaborating on the outcomes of his joint meeting on Syria with his Russian and Turkish counterparts earlier in the day within the framework of the Astana format in the Qatari capital on the sidelines of the 22nd Doha Forum, set for December 7-8.
Calling the situation in Syria "very important," Araghchi said, "all the participants agreed that the hostilities in Syria should immediately come to an end, and Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereignty should be respected."
Political talks between the Syrian government and the opposition groups "were the demands put forward in the meeting," he said, adding that Iran and Russia were both expected to consult with the Syrian government in this regard.
According to IRNA, Araghchi reaffirmed on Saturday Iran's support for the Syrian people and government.
Meanwhile, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen called for calm and an orderly political transition in Syria at a press conference held on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.
The situation in Syria "is changing by the minute," he said, urging avoiding bloodshed in the country and implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
Pedersen said that he held a meeting with the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, and Turkey earlier in the day and also consulted with representatives from the US, France, Britain, and Germany and that all parties agreed on the matter.
The Astana process, launched in 2017 with Turkey, Russia, and Iran as guarantors, aims to resolve the Syrian civil war, which began in early 2011.
The fighting between government forces and rebel groups, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has seen a sharp escalation for territorial gains since November 27.
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