Representatives of Syrian government and opposition parties began talks in Moscow Wednesday aimed at restarting long-stalled peace negotiations to end the country’s brutal war.

Representatives of Syrian government and opposition parties began talks in Moscow Wednesday aimed at restarting long-stalled peace negotiations to end the country's brutal war.

The 32 members of various opposition groups tolerated by Damascus and six members of the official Syrian delegation led by the ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari began their meeting at 0700 GMT, one of the opposition participants told AFP.

The opposition source at the meeting said that those attending were putting forward a "ten-point list" aimed at defusing the nearly four years of war.

The opposition source at the meeting said that those attending were putting forward a "ten-point list" aimed at defusing the nearly four years of civil war that has claimed more than 200,000 lives since 2011.

The source said that the opposition figures at the meeting would not “immediately insist” on establishing a transition government to ease President Bashar al-Assad from power.

After the meeting this morning, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was set to meet the Syrian delegation.

The western-backed exiled opposition alliance, the National Coalition, is not attending the Moscow talks although five of its members are there in a personal capacity along with members of opposition groups tolerated by the Damascus.