France denies it closed airspace to Syria’s delegation

The French Foreign Ministry on Monday denied media reports that it had banned the Syrian delegation to the Geneva 2 peace conference from flying over French airspace, Itar-Tass said.
A source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Monday that the French had vowed not to let the Syrian delegation’s plane pass over its territory tomorrow, AFP said.
“Syria’s request is under consideration now and information on whether the passage is allowed or not will be announced in a few hours,” a Foreign Minister official informed.
The Information that France allegedly closed its airspace for a Syrian plane was spread today in Damascus by a Syrian Foreign Ministry official who also expressed the opinion that this way France was trying to “torpedo the Geneva-2 conference”.
The long-overdue international talks on Syria are to open in Switzerland on January 22. They are expected to bring together both parties to the conflict for the first time since the war broke out in Syria three years ago.
The talks are aimed at finding a political solution to the deadly crisis that has gripped Syria since 2011.