The Geneva II conference on Syria 's crisis will take place on December 12, Syria's semi-official al- Watan newspaper said Saturday, quoting "a Western diplomat in Paris."

"US Secretary of State John Kerry has told his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, that Washington and Moscow were seeking to convene the international conference on December 12 and that declaring the conference's date would be on November 25," the Western diplomat told al-Watan, according to the paper.

Meanwhile, the paper said that a well-informed Syrian source in Damascus "didn't shun aside the date of the conference" as stated by the Western diplomat, but said there are ongoing contacts with the Russian side to discuss the details, procedures, and the date of the conference.

Furthermore, the Syrian source reiterated Damascus' readiness to take part in the Geneva II conference without preconditions, as previously stated by the Syrian government.

Syria's participation in Geneva II aims at ending the terrorism that the Syrian people are subjected to, the source said.

Arab media outlets said Friday that a high-profile Syrian delegation will arrive in Moscow on Saturday for talks with on the preparations for the delayed Geneva II conference, which is designed to hammer out a political solution to Syria's protracted crisis.

Reports said that Moscow has also invited members of the oppositional Syrian National Coalition in exile.