Syria 'ready' for peace talks with opposition

Foreign ministry says Syria is ready to meet the opposition in Moscow talks due to be held in late January.

 

An estimated 200,000 people have been killed in Syria during the war [Getty]

Syria is ready to meet with the country's opposition in Moscow in an effort to find a way out of the nearly four-year civil war, a government official has said.
"Syria is ready to participate in a preliminary and consultative meeting in Moscow to respond to the aspirations of Syrians who are trying to find a solution to the crisis," the foreign ministry official said on Saturday, quoted by SANA state news agency.
"The Syrian Arab Republic has always been ready for dialogue with those who believe in its unity, sovereignty and freedom of choice," the official said.
It is unclear whether Syria's fractured opposition leaders in exile, or armed rebels on the ground, would attend a conference hosted in a government-controlled area of the country.
Hadi al-Hahra, head of the Turkey-based opposition National Coalition said on Saturday that "there is no initiative as rumoured", dismissing the Russian plan.
"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," Bahra said.
Russia has been trying to relaunch peace talks for Syria that would include meetings between delegates of the regime and the fractured opposition.
Moscow said on Thursday that it planned to host delegations from the Syrian opposition in late January, possibly followed by a visit by regime representatives that could bring the two sides together for talks.
Assad has said he backs the efforts by his key ally.
Syria's war began as a pro-democracy revolt, but escalated into a multi-sided civil war drawing foreign fighters after President Bashar al-Assad's regime began a massive crackdown on dissent.
An estimated 200,000 people have been killed, and half the population have been forced to flee their homes.