Kurds won’t attend Syria talks, Saudi-backed opponents to take lead: Fabius

Pro-government forces this week seized the key town of Sheikh Miskeen in southern Daraa province from rebels and took the last opposition-controlled town in coastal Latakia province, Rabia.

“(The Committee) is representative and it must be the negotiator, that is what was confirmed to me by Mr De Mistura, even if there can be other people” at the talks, Fabius told France Culture radio.

He said he expected to be able to send invitations to the delegates on Tuesday, but declined to say who would be asked to attend, only saying the list would be “as inclusive as possible”.

Critics have accused Moscow of killing hundreds of civilians in the strikes and on Thursday a monitor said at least 44 civilians had died in suspected Russian air raids in parts of northern and eastern Syria under IS control.

The talks are part of a UN-backed plan agreed by top diplomats a year ago in Vienna that envisages negotiations, followed by the creation of a transitional government, a new constitution and elections within 18 months.

As the Obama administration pushes for peace in Syria, its credibility is crumbling among Syrian opposition leaders, many of whom increasingly doubt the U.S.is serious about ending the rule of dictator Bashar Assad.

“We have a coherent Riyadh platform”. De Mistura said implementation of the resolution was not up to him but to the states that signed it, the source added.

He explained that he was moving forward cautiously to avoid a repeat of the failure seen when the United Nations last tried to put the sides together. Among the independents is former Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi, who said he won’t be at the first round of talks to help ease intense wrangling and because the formation of the Syrian opposition delegation has been marred by troubles.

The opposition coalition known as the Higher Negotiating Committee spoke on Tuesday evening of the “necessity of realising genuine improvements on the ground before starting in the negotiating process”.

But the coalition excludes Syria’s main Kurdish party and a range of other opposition figures. The UN official said that he will start issuing invitations for the talks on Wednesday but refused to comment on the specifics of the invitations – the issue has been a major point of contention, particularly, between the U.S and Russian Federation.

Preparations for the talks have been beset by problems including a dispute over who should represent the opposition. The opposition has yet to say whether it will attend.

Aliko said it would take a final decision on whether to attend the talks in a meeting on Tuesday. “Like all wars, their war too will come to an end”.

On Monday, Europol’s chief warned Daesh “had developed a new combat style capability to carry out a campaign of large-scale terrorist attacks on a global stage – with a particular focus in Europe”. And because the regime has made major military gains since Russian Federation intervened in the war in September, there appears to be no reason they’ll relent anytime soon.

The Syrian opposition has said it wants such steps implemented before the start of negotiations, which the United Nations aims to convene on Friday in Geneva in an indirect format.

Sabra added “The Syrian opposition insisted that the regime should stop bombarding Syrian villages and lift its starvation siege before it can join the talks but it is being pressured to participate”.