A key Syrian opposition official says he has rejected a Russian invitation to peace talks in Moscow with Syrian government officials.
Moaz al-Khatib, the former leader of the main opposition Syrian National Coalition who now heads his own movement, said on his Facebook page on January 9 "the necessary conditions" for a talks have not yet been met.
Khatib -- who attended talks with Syrian officials in November -- noted the shelling by the government of President Bashar al-Assad of opposition areas in Syria as a reason to refuse the Moscow offer for talks later this month.
Khatib's statement comes four days after Syrian National Coalition head Khalid Khoja rejected Moscow's offer.
A key ally of Assad, Russia invited 28 Syrian opposition figures to the talks.
The Syrian civil war has killed more than 200,000 people since it started in 2011.
