TASS- US representatives will not take part in the international meeting in Astana on the settlement in Syria, Kazakh Foreign Ministry

"The US delegation has refrained from taking part in the current round of talks on Syria in Astana," Zhainakov said.

The international meeting on the settlement in Syria will be held in Astana on May 14-15. Kazakhstan�s Foreign Ministry earlier reported that, in addition to Russia, Iran and Turkey acting as guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire, the delegations of the Syrian government and the opposition, UN representatives and observers from the US and Jordan had been invited to the meeting.

During the talks, the parties are due to discuss the current situation in Syria, including in the de-escalation zones, humanitarian issues and confidence-building measures and coordinate further steps to facilitate the resolution of the crisis in that country. Bilateral and multilateral consultations are scheduled to be held on May 14, while the plenary meeting is to be held on May 15.