Beijing - Petra
China on Saturday urged the Syrian government and opposition to start talks to find a solution to the three-year conflict in the country. Foreign minister Wang Yi told reporters, "Regardless of how big the issue is and how deep the opposition and differences are, as long as the two sides sit together and start a dialogue and talks, they would reach a solution acceptable to all the parties." He spoke four days before the government and opposition are due to start a peace conference in Switzerland on Wednesday, known as Geneva2, in an attempt to end the conflict and start a transition by fully implementing the 2012 Geneva declaration. "The convening of Geneva2, as scheduled, is of extreme importance to the international community," he said, adding that the fact that talks are getting underway is "a big achievement and a huge start." Wang also pledged that Beijing would pursue its "positive and constructive" efforts to reach a solution that all parties would accept.