Syria Talks at Risk of Collapse Over Demands From Opposition
- Assad opponents threaten to quit Geneva talks by week end
- Russian air campaign bolstering Assad, who's on offensive
Civil defense team members carry a wounded Syrian on the debris of a building after the war crafts belonging to the Russian army carried out airstrikes on the residential areas in the opposition controlled Anadan district of Aleppo, Syria on Feb. 2, 2016.
Photographer: /Getty ImagesSyrian opposition groups are threatening to pull out of peace talks before they’re barely off the ground as they demand an end to air strikes against rebel-held areas and other humanitarian measures, risking efforts to end five years of civil war.
The High Negotiations Committee, the main opposition group, wants a halt to what it describes as a "massive acceleration" of bombings by Russia and President Bashar al-Assad’smilitary on civilian areas, spokesman Fara Atassi said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday. A spokesman for the HNC, Monzer Makhous, said earlier that the grouping would quit the talks by the end of this week if its demands are not met.