Assad Regime Spurns Direct UN Syria Talks With `Terrorists'
- `Major differences' in Syrian government, opposition proposals
- Kerry in Moscow next week to discuss Russian Syria withdrawal
Why Is Russia Pulling Out of Syria?
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Syria’s government rejected direct talks with the main opposition group even as the United Nations said Russia’s military pullout from the country has helped to breathe “new momentum” into the peace process in Geneva.
“We consider them a terrorist delegation that belongs to a terrorist faction,” Bashar Jaafari, the Syrian ambassador to the UN, said of the opposition High Negotiations Committee on Wednesday after meeting Staffan de Mistura, the UN’s special envoy for Syria. The Saudi-backed HNC said on Tuesday that it would be prepared to sit down face-to-face with the government side.