Syria peace talks begin in Moscow

By Anna Malpas

Syrian opposition figures have met in Moscow as part of a new Russia-coordinated bid to wind down the war in Syria, but there is little hope of a breakthrough.

The main opposition group, the exiled National Coalition, has boycotted the talks while Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cast doubt on the Moscow initiative bearing any fruit.

Nevertheless, members of his government were expected to join the closed-door talks later in the week.

Moscow said more than 30 members of the Syrian opposition were taking part in the negotiations.

Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov, who may also participate in the talks, said the aim of the first two days of discussion was to “provide a platform for the Syrian opposition so that they can develop some shared approaches to talks with the government”.

“We plan that after two days of contacts between Syrians in Moscow, the representatives of the Syrian government will join the opposition, again just in order to establish personal contact,” he said in televised remarks on Monday (local time).

A Syrian government delegation headed by the ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, arrived in Moscow and was to join the talks on Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry said.

Lavrov’s deputy Mikhail Bodganov said Russia’s top diplomat may meet with members of the opposition that day “if there is a constructive mood”.

Russia says the Moscow meetings are part of a process aimed at restarting UN-mediated talks to end nearly four years of civil war that has claimed more than 200,000 lives since 2011.

Two previous rounds of talks in Geneva ended without success.

AFP