Syria opposition to attend peace talks in Geneva

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syria's main opposition group said it would attend peace talks on Monday, March 14, but accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of preparing to escalate the war to strengthen its negotiating position, Reuters reports.

The UN-brokered talks, which coincide with the fifth anniversary of the conflict, will take place in Geneva two weeks after the start of a ceasefire agreement.

The High Negotiations Committee said on Friday it would attend the peace talks as part of its "commitment to international efforts to stop the spilling of Syrian blood and find a political solution."

But it played down any chance of reaching agreement with the Syrian government to end the war that has killed more than 250,000 people and led to a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe.

The opposition HNC said it wanted the talks to concentrate on the establishment of an interim governing body with full executive powers.

HNC coordinator Riad Hijab said the group was "concerned with representing the just cause of the Syrian people ... and investing in all available chances to alleviate the Syrian people's suffering."