The official was quoted as saying the government was "ready to participate in preparatory, advisory meetings in Moscow" that would "answer the aspirations of Syrians to find an exit from the crisis."
Russia's foreign ministry had said on Thursday that it hoped to host peace talks after January 20 between the Syrian government and its fractured opposition. The nearly four-year conflict has claimed over 200,000 lives, displaced a third of Syria's population, and nurtured an extremist group, the Islamic State, which now rules over vast swaths of Syria and neighboring Iraq.
Russia is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and it is unclear whether any of the country's opposition groups are willing to attend the talks.
The main Western-backed Syrian opposition has maintained that any negotiated settlement must include the formation of a transitional governing body with full executive powers, a demand rejected by Assad's government..................................AP......................http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syria-ready-to-participate-in-Moscow-peace-talks/articleshow/45661116.cms
27/12/14
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Syria opposition dismissive of Russia peace talks ...
ReplyDeleteSyria said on Saturday it was willing to participate in “preliminary consultations” in Moscow aimed at restarting talks next year to end its civil war but the Western-backed opposition dismissed the initiative.
Two rounds of peace talks this year in Geneva failed to halt the conflict which has killed 200,000 people during more than three years of violence and there was little sign of the latest move gaining traction.
The opposition is also suspicious of Russian-led plans as Moscow has long backed President Bashar al-Assad with weapons.
Hadi al-Bahra, head of the Turkey-based opposition National Coalition, met with Arab League Chief Nabil Elaraby in Cairo on Saturday and told a news conference “there is no initiative as rumored.”
“Russia does not have a clear initiative, and what is called for by Russia is just a meeting and dialogue in Moscow, with no specific paper or initiative,” he was quoted by Egyptian state news agency MENA as saying........................http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/12/27/Syria-ready-to-participate-in-Moscow-peace-talks.html
27/12/14