The Syrian government delegation has threatened to quit peace talks in Geneva if "serious" discussions do not begin by Saturday.

Foreign Minister Walid Muallem issued the threat on Syrian state media after his team held talks with UN negotiator Lakhdar Brahimi, the BBC informs.

The Damascus delegation complained about recent remarks made by the opposition chief, Ahmed Jarba, who said President Bashar al-Assad and his regime were a "political corpse" that could not be part of Syria's future.

Brahimi is due to meet the Syrian opposition separately later on Friday.

The envoy had planned to bring the government and opposition delegations together for a joint meeting to start a negotiating process aimed at resolving nearly three years of conflict in Syria. However, the opposition refused to meet with the government delegation, demanding that it first signed up to a protocol calling for a transitional government in the country.