BEIRUT: Syrian rebels cast doubt on Monday that they would attend Russian-backed peace talks in Kazakhstan this week, accusing Moscow of failing to get Damascus to fully comply with a ceasefire deal or release any prisoners. The Kazakh government said on Saturday it had invited the government and rebels for February 15-16. They attended a similar indirect meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana last month. Mohammad Al Aboud, a senior rebel official, said the delegation would not attend. “There were violations in the ceasefire and the Russians did not live up to their promises to halt these violations,” he said.
A second rebel official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at most a handful of rebels might attend, but only if progress was seen in the next two days. “The (whole) delegation will not go,” he said. The Syrian government said earlier on Monday it was ready to agree on prisoner swaps with rebel groups, a potential confidence-building measure as the United Nations prepares to convene new peace talks. The Syrian opposition has long demanded the release of government-held detainees as one of several humanitarian actions needed before any negotiations over Syria’s political future.
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