A Syrian government delegation will arrive in Geneva on Wednesday, a day later than expected, to attend peace talks being held there this week, Reuters reports.
The delegation had delayed its planned departure for the talks, which begin on Tuesday, because of the opposition’s insistence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said the government and opposition would have a chance to negotiate directly for the first time, but it was not clear if they would choose to do so.
“We are going to offer it. We will see if this takes place. But we will be offering that,” he said after meeting the opposition delegation.