Islamist groups in Syria talks on individual basis: Russia

Yesterday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Russian Federation should stop bombing opposition forces in Syria now that UN-led peace talks aimed at ending the war have started.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow will not stop conducting air strikes in Syria until all “terrorist” groups are defeated.

Hammond told Reuters in an interview on Monday that Putin was strengthening Islamic State militants on the ground by bombing President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents, who the West hope can shape Syria once Assad is gone.

Lavrov, however, said a ceasefire in Syria could not be imposed unless Turkey secures its borders to prevent arms smuggling into the Arab country. Russian Federation has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of helping IS through illegal oil trading, claims Ankara has strongly denied.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia reiterated its support for the Supreme negotiating body for revolutionary forces and the Syrian opposition’s decision to participate in the Geneva conference negotiations in order to implement the Security Council’s Resolution 2254 with all of its clauses.

“What I am saying fully applies to the Lausanne group of the opposition”.

Moscow was repeatedly asked to ensure the presence of the Syrian government’s delegation at the negotiation table, “so they did – coming to Geneva first without any pre-conditions”, Lavrov said, adding that now Moscow and Damascus have a right to expect the same precondition-free approach from other sides of the talks.