Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has expressed his countrys opposition to the idea of a "transitional period" in Syria.
Mekdad was quoted by the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV as speaking in a meeting with Irans Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Tuesday.
He said the Syrian government opposes a political transition sought by Western countries to end the four-year conflict in his country.
"We are talking about a national dialog in Syria and a broad-based government as well as a constitutional process. There is no [talk of a] transitional period in Syria," the Syrian official said.
He added that no official report has been received yet about a possible meeting between the Syrian government and opposition groups.
Media reports said on Tuesday that representativesof the Syrian government and opposition groups could meet in Moscow, Russia, next week.