Syria rebels, opposition reject Russian call for talks

BEIRUT — Syrianrebelsand opposition groups Tuesday rejected Russia’s proposed peace talks, accusing Moscow of failing to pressure its ally, President Bashar Assad, to end the conflict.

Inaseriesofstatements,40rebel groups, including some of Syria’s most prominent, as well as political opposition groups, said the talks expected next month are an attempt to “circumvent” the U.n.-led process, which has made virtually no progress since it began in 2014.

The rebel groups said Moscow has asked them to give up their demand for Assad to step down.

“We reject this, and we affirm that Russia is an aggressor that has committed war crimes against Syrians,” the statement signed by 40 rebel groups said. “Russia has not contributed with a single move to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people and it has not pressured the regime it claims it guarantees to move an inchtowardanyrealpathtowarda resolution.”

The rebel groups, including Ahrar al-sham, Army of Islam and a number of Western and regionally backed outfits, said they are committed to the U.n.-led Geneva pro- cess and called on the international community to end the bloodshed, now in its seventh year. Political opposition groups and governing bodies in rebel-held areas also have rejected Russia’s proposed talks.

The talks are scheduled for Jan. 29-30 in Sochi and were announced after talks among Russia and Iran, which back the government, and Turkey, which supports the opposition.

Syria’s government said it would attend the talks. Assad told reporters recently that the Sochi talks have a clear agenda of discussing new elections and possibly amending the constitution.