Damascus, April 21 (RHC)-- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem says Turkey and other countries continue to supply terrorists in Syria with advanced weapons.  He made the remarks on Thursday at a meeting with China's special envoy to Syria as fighting raged across the country after the collapse of UN-sponsored peace talks.

The Syrian official news agency, SANA, quotes Muallem saying that the Syrian government would press on with its fight against terrorists.  The report comes as leaders of the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) left the latest round of the peace talks, which began in Geneva on April 13th, to protest at what they called escalating violence and restrictions on humanitarian access in Syria.

Some foreign-backed militant groups have declared a new war on Syrian government forces as opposition negotiators suspended their participation in peace talks.  Turkey-based Free Syrian Army and Ahrar al-Sham militants announced the launch of new assaults in Latakia and Hama provinces.  The declaration of the new war came as the Syrian army pushed ahead with its battle in Aleppo against Daesh and Nusra Front terrorist groups which are excluded from peace talks. 

In reaction to the HNC decision, Syria's chief negotiator in peace talks, Bashar al-Ja’afari, said on Wednesday that the so-called opposition group does not represent the Syrian people.  Syria's chief negotiator Bashar Ja'afari said the opposition and the countries that support it are “annoyed because of the progress being made by the Syrian army on the ground.”