Syria says Turkey, Saudi Arabia ordering truce violations

The Syrian foreign minister has lashed out at Turkey and Saudi Arabia for undermining a truce agreement currently in force in the war-ravaged country.

According to the reports, Walid al-Muallem said on Monday that terrorist groups were breaking the ceasefire in Syria on the orders of Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The top Syrian diplomat said in his meeting with United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura in Damascus that militants are continuing to stage attacks on government positions in a bid to foil forthcoming peace talks.

Muallem said Syria is still committed to dialogue without preconditions, adding that the government will continue its efforts for reaching a political solution in the UN-sponsored talks beginning on April 15.

"Muallem reaffirmed in his meeting with De Mistura the Syrian position on the political solution to the crisis and the commitment to Syrian dialogue under Syrian leadership, without pre-conditions," the official Syrian news agency, SANA, said.

In a press conference after the meeting, De Mistura said cessation of hostilities in Syria was fragile, noting that the truce needs to be sustained.

"We did raise and discuss the importance of protecting and maintaining and supporting the cessation of hostilities, which is, as you know, fragile but is there," he said.

The truce agreement, engineered by the United States and Russia, has been in effect in Syria since the end of February.

SS