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             Russia Steps Up Diplomatic Push for Syria Peace Talks

   Russia hosted closed-door talks with Syrian diplomats Monday in a
   renewed push for a Syrian peace conference in which Moscow says Tehran
   must also play a role.
   President Bashar al-Assad`s envoys began negotiations in Moscow just as
   U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon disclosed in Vilnius that he hoped to convene
   the so-called Geneva II conference in mid-December.
   Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said his government
   "regards Iran as a very important partner in all Middle Eastern
   affairs,`` in comments at the start of separate talks with Iran`s
   Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
   The Syrian opposition said Russia also invited Syrian National
   Coalition president Ahmed Jarba for a three-day visit to coincide with
   the regime officials` stay.
   Moscow has been emboldened by its success in helping to mediate a deal
   under which Syria will destroy its chemical weapons, but Washington is
   wary of allowing Iran to join Syrian peace talks.
   Reuters reported that Syria`s ambassador to Russia said Monday that
   insufficient funding and unspecified actions by militants fighting to
   oust President Bashar al-Assad are hindering the government`s
   compliance with a deal to abandon chemical weapons
   In Syria, a prominent rebel commander died after being wounded last
   week in the heavily contested northern city of Aleppo. Abdul-Qadir
   Saleh was the head of the Islamist al-Tawhid Brigade, which announced
   his death in a statement Monday.
   He had been taken to a hospital in Turkey following an attack on the
   brigade` leadership by Syrian forces last Thursday that also killed
   another commander. The group is estimated to have at least 8,000
   fighters.
   Mr. Assad`s troops have made recent gains in Aleppo, the country`s
   largest city.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-steps-up-diplomatic-push-for-s
   yria-peace-talks/1792419.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-steps-up-diplomatic-push-for-syria-peace-talks/1792419.html