Damascus rejects any discussion of presidency at talks

[March 12, 2016]    BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government said on Saturday it would not hold talks with any party wishing to discuss the question of the presidency, calling President Bashar al-Assad a "red line" as it confirmed its participation in U.N.-led peace talks next week.

"We will not talk to anyone who talks about the position of the presidency. Bashar is a red line, the property of the Syrian people," Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said during a televised news conference in Damascus. "I advise them that if this is their thinking, they shouldn't come to the talks."

"They must abandon these delusions."

(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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