"A very important event in the developments in the country has come about. The issue in Syria now is the choice between a transition towards peaceful, nationwide talks or a descent into civil war," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

UN envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan for Syria stipulated the start of a ceasefire April 12 in a bid to stop the violence that has so far claimed around 9,000 lives.