Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the new president of the so-called Syrian National Coalition (SNC) is hindering attempts to hold the proposed Geneva talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the new president of the so-called Syrian National Coalition (SNC) is hindering attempts to hold the proposed Geneva talks, which aim to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

Ahmad Assi Jarba, the new SNC leader, said on July 7 that the foreign-backed opposition group would not attend the conference - planned by the United States and Russia - unless the militants make military advances on the ground first.

Referring to the argument by hawkish Jarba, Lavrov said on Wednesday, “If you follow this logic, we will never manage to convene any conference.”

“Our Western partners took responsibility for getting the opposition to attend the Geneva conference without preconditions,” the Russian foreign minister emphasized.

Lavrov was speaking at a news conference after a meeting with the foreign minister of Belarus.