Syria: Int'l Envoy To Meet U.S., Russian Officials

International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi

International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is due to meet with senior U.S. and Russian diplomats for talks aimed at agreeing on a united international position on ending the war in Syria.

Ahead of the meeting January 11 in Geneva, the Syrian government denounced Brahimi, saying he held a “flagrant bias” against the regime.

Brahimi this week rejected a role for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in any transitional government that could emerge from a peace deal.

In Geneva, Brahimi, the joint envoy of the United Nations and Arab League, is due to hold talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns.

Moscow and Washington remain deeply split over the Syrian crisis.

Washington backs opposition fighters and has demanded that Assad leave power, while Russia rejects action by outsiders to influence the outcome of the conflict.

Based on reporting from Reuters and AFP