Syrian opposition refuses to add terrorism to UN talks agenda

Syria's main opposition group will not allow terrorism to be added to the agenda of sputtering UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, its delegation head said Wednesday.

"We will not deal with it, and if (UN mediator Staffan de Mistura) adds it in any time we will not deal with it or discuss it," Yehya Kodmani of the High Negotiating Committee (HNC) told reporters.

The issue has overshadowed the Geneva talks, in particular after a suicide assault in Syria's third-largest city of Homs last weekend which killed dozens of people.

The Syrian regime's chief negotiator at the talks, Bashar al-Jaafari, demanded at the time that all factions at the Geneva talks condemn the attack or be deemed "accomplices of terrorism".

Kodmani was speaking after talks with a Russian envoy to the Geneva talks, which began last Thursday but which have struggled to get underway.

On Tuesday Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, called for terrorism to be added to the agenda of the talks, which are also complicated by divisions within the opposition. There are two other opposition groups as well as the HNC.

"Terrorism is a priority. The fight against terrorism is a priority and it should be on the agenda," said deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov.

UN Syria envoy de Mistura launched the latest round of talks last Thursday, but as in previous sessions there appears little prospect of the two sides' meeting face-to-face.

Officially there are three "baskets" of issues being discussed at the talks: governance, constitution and elections.

The opposition says political transition -- specifically the fate of President Assad -- should be added to the discussions.

Speaking after Wednesday's meeting with the HNC delegation, the Russian deputy minister was cautious.

"This was a sound meeting, constructive discussion about the Syrian negotiation round. There is a common understanding that we must move toward political regulation of the Syrian crisis," he said, quoted by the RIA-Novosti news agency.

"What is new about these Geneva talks is that the sides agreed with the suggestion of de Mistura to discuss all issues in a parallel mode, so that there are several tracks."

He added: "Of course we would like to see direct talks between Syrian government delegation and a united opposition delegation, but we must admit that this is not attainable right now.

"The Syrian opposition is still represented here in Geneva by several groups."

The Geneva talks, the fourth round of UN-sponsored talks in the six-year conflict which has killed over 310,000 people, are expected to end before or during the coming weekend, though no formal time frame has been set.