Syria opposition backs off from talks until Russian air raids end

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition ruled out even indirect negotiations with Damascus before steps including a halt to Russian air strikes, contradicting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's insistence that talks will begin next week, Reuters reports.

With the five-year-old Syrian war showing no signs of ending, it looks increasingly uncertain that peace talks will begin as planned on January 25 in Geneva, partly because of a dispute over the composition of the opposition delegation.

The Syrian government has said it is ready to take part in the Geneva talks on time. The office of UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said he was still aiming "at rolling out the talks" on January 25, and would be "assessing progress over the weekend."

Russia said the talks could be delayed until January 27 or 28 because of the disagreement over who would represent the opposition.

George Sabra, a senior opposition official, said the obstacles to the talks were still there, reiterating demands for the lifting of blockades on populated areas and the release of detainees, measures set out in a December 18 Security Council resolution that endorsed the peace process.

"There must be a halt to the bombardment of civilians by Russian planes, and sieges of blockaded areas must be lifted," said Sabra, who was this week named as a senior member of the opposition delegation to any talks. "The form of the talks does not concern us, but the conditions must be appropriate for the negotiations," he told Reuters.

Sabra's opposition council, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), was formed in Saudi Arabia last month. It groups Assad's political and armed opponents, including rebel factions fighting Damascus in western Syria.