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                    Syrian Government to Attend Peace Talks

   The Syrian government says it will participate in peace talks the
   United Nations has set for January in Geneva.
   The foreign ministry said Wednesday that Syria will send a delegation,
   but stressed that President Bashar al-Assad`s government will not be
   handing over power.
   U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the long-awaited
   conference earlier this week. Its goal is to forge a mutually
   agreed-upon transitional government to lead Syria out of a conflict
   that has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced millions more
   since March 2011.
   Who else will take part in the talks is not yet clear.
   Syria`s main exiled opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition,
   said Tuesday it has not made a final decision whether to take part, but
   insisted that Mr. Assad should play no role in the country`s future.
   The commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army said his group will not
   participate and will not stop its fight to oust Mr. Assad when the
   conference convenes January 22.
   The United States, which supports the opposition, and Syrian ally
   Russia have been the main proponents, working for months to try to
   arrange the conference as questions about participation and conditions
   caused repeated delays.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-government-to-attend-peace-tal
   ks/1798595.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-government-to-attend-peace-talks/1798595.html