Defiant Syrian envoy blames West, Saudis and U.N. as peace talks end

Syrian ambassador to the United Nations and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari (R) and his delegation arrive for a meeting with the UN Special Envoy for Syria during Intra Syria peace talks at the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland December 14, 2017. REUTERS/ Fabrice Coffrini/Pool

GENEVA (Reuters) - Syrian government negotiator Bashar al-Ja'afari accused its opposition, backed by Western countries and Saudi Arabia, of sabotaging a round of U.N.-led peace talks that ended in Geneva on Thursday without any results.

He said Damascus did not want the talks to fail but the opposition had put down a precondition last month by concluding a conference known as "Riyadh 2" with a declaration that President Bashar al-Assad had no role in Syria's political transition.