“Dicey people have appeared in [the Syrian opposition delegation], who are starting to push preconditions that have nothing to do with the overall principles of the Geneva communique, Vienna documents, or the UN Security Council’s resolution,” Lavrov said in Oman.
The highly-anticipated talks on Syrian reconciliation, mediated by the United Nations, formally began on January 29 in line with the UN Security Council's resolution on Syrian settlement, which stipulates that the entire spectrum of political groups in the crisis-torn country be brought to the negotiating table.
The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), representing the Syrian opposition, had suspended confirmation of its participation, but made a last-minute decision to travel to Geneva after receiving US and UN guarantees.
On Saturday, the Saudi-backed HNC announced that it would leave Geneva if the Syrian government "continues to kill civilians."
On Sunday, the Committee refused to recognize a Syrian opposition delegation proposed by Moscow and Cairo, claiming exclusive legitimacy to participate in the talks on behalf of the opposition.