“I have no information on the whereabouts of al-Assad, my last contact was yesterday afternoon”, the official explained in statements to Al Arabiya television.

“I hope that we will achieve national reconciliation among all sectors of our people”, he stressed.

He also pointed out that most ministers are in Damascus, adding he has stayed in the capital determined to play his role.

Al-Khalali revealed that he held a conversation with Abu Mohammad al-Julani, a leading figure of the opposition alliance headed by Hayat Tahrir al Shams, a founder of the al-Nusra Front, a franchise of the Al Qaeda terrorist group in Syria accused of numerous crimes in the country.

Syria’s mani ciies, including the capital Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Hama, are currently under the control of the armed opposition, with the east cities of Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir Ezzor remaining in the hands of Kurdish forces.

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