Major Syrian opposition groups absent from Moscow talks

6 April 2015, 2:18 pm

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The Syria truce talks in Moscow, starting Monday, will not include a main Western-backed opposition group in exile, the National Coalition, while a leading opposition activist remains inside Damascus, subject to a travel ban.

The closed-door discussions are expected to focus on humanitarian issues and serve as a way for Russia, a main backer of the Syrian regime, to build its profile as a potential mediator in the conflict.

They follow on from a similar round of meetings between the government and officially tolerated opposition in Moscow in late January that failed to make any concrete progress towards resolving the deep-rooted conflict.

— AFP