Syria's opposition said early Saturday that it will boycott a peace congress in Russia next week, according to its official Twitter account.
"The HNC announces the boycott of the Sochi conference that Russia had invited it to," the tweet in Arabic on the High Negotiations Committee (HNC)'s account said after UN-brokered talks in Vienna.
The decision came after the both the opposition and regime held a second day of talks with the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura -- with no sign, as in eight previous rounds of failed UN-backed talks, that the warring two sides met face-to-face.
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Syrian opposition warns of Sochi talks undermining Geneva peace process
Russia invites Kurds to join Syria peace congress
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Russia has in the meantime been sponsoring parallel peace talks alongside Iran and Turkey since early last year, and had invited some 1,600 people to a "peace congress" in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on January 29 and 30 to begin hammering out a constitution for post-war Syria.
However, western powers have regarded the talks with suspicion, however, worrying that Moscow is seeking to undermine the United-Nations backed talks with a view to ultimately carving out a settlement in favour of its ally, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
The United Nations said it had yet to decide whether or not it would attend the Sochi talks.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
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Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000