Pro-Russia opposition joins Syria peace talks

Peace talks to end the war in Syria intensified on Wednesday with the inclusion of a pro-Russian opposition group, days after Moscow's surprise decision to withdraw most of its forces in Syria.

Western governments voiced hopes the partial exit – which continued on Wednesday as more Russian planes pulled out of their air base in Syria – could boost the talks by pressuring Assad.

The so-called Moscow Group is tolerated by Damascus and has not insisted on Assad's departure as a condition for creating a transitional government, which is an unequivocal demand of the main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC). 

It was not immediately clear what impact its inclusion in the talks would have, or whether it was a gesture from UN mediator Staffan de Mistura to Russia following the pull-out. 

De Mistura has said Russia's action could have a "positive" impact on efforts to end the five-year conflict and that Moscow's announcement on the day negotiations opened was "not a coincidence".

After multiple failed peace efforts, de Mistura has said he sees added "momentum" in the current round of dialogue, which comes as a ceasefire imposed on 27 February remains broadly in place.

His tentative optimism was backed by US Secretary of State John Kerry who heads to Moscow next week to discuss the peace drive. 

"We may face the best opportunity that we've had in years to end (the war)," Kerry said on Tuesday.  

The conflict has killed more than 270,000 people and sent millions fleeing to neighbouring countries and on treacherous land and sea journeys into Europe. 

'More serious stage' 

The Moscow Group includes Syria's former deputy premier Qadri Jamil, who was sacked by Assad in 2013. 

Group member Fateh Jamous charged the more hardline HNC with imposing "conditions that we consider contradictory to the principle of consensus, including the condition of (Assad's) departure".

Jamous told AFP that the Moscow Group would submit its ideas for a transitional government to de Mistura during a scheduled meeting on Wednesday evening. 

"Our invitation is proof that the talks have entered a new, more serious stage," he added. 

Jamil was in Geneva for an earlier round of talks that collapsed in February but did not meet with de Mistura at the time.

Syrian government delegation head Bashar al-Jafaari appeared to welcome the arrival of the new opposition faction.  

"No one can monopolise the opposition," Jafaari said after meeting with de Mistura, in a reference to the HNC. 

He branded HNC lead negotiator Mohammed Alloush a "terrorist" and said he would not meet him directly until Alloush apologised for insisting that the transition must start with Assad's fall or death. 

'Still complicated'

The latest spat between rival camps highlights the huge obstacles standing in the way of a peace deal.

"Things are still very complicated," de Mistura's deputy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy said, while noting "important progress" had been made in the first three days of talks.

Wrangling over delegates has hampered past negotiations, especially the contentious issue of including Syrian Kurdish groups, which control large stretches of northern Syria but have not been invited to Geneva.

Kurdish-led parties meeting in northern Syria on Wednesday were expected to declare a new federal system in areas under their control, a move aimed at solidifying their autonomy, but which could complicate efforts to forge a united Syria. 

Jaafari told reporters that a federal system would prove pointless. 

"The Syrian Kurds are an important component of the Syrian people... so betting on creating any kind of divisions among the Syrians will be a total failure," he said.