Moscow said Thursday it would host talks between representatives of Syrian government and opposition figures in April.

Moscow said Thursday it would host talks between representatives of Syrian government and opposition figures in April.

"Representatives from a larger section of the Syrian opposition," are expected to take part in the talks, said Alexander Lukashevich, spokesman for the foreign ministry.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told news agency RIA Novosti that members of the exiled opposition, the so-called Syrian National Coalition, which did not take part in the first round of talks in January, were "considering coming to Moscow" for the meeting.

Gatilov said the UN's Syria peace envoy Staffan de Mistura would also take part in the talks.

Two rounds of talks in Geneva ended without success, the last of which took place in February 2014.

In January this year discussions between around 30 opposition members -- from groups tolerated by Damascus authorities -- and representatives of Damascus, were described as an "initial, consultative meeting" by the head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari.

The meeting, which saw the Syrian government and some opponents, agree to a list of ten points called the "Moscow principles".

The document stipulates that a solution to the conflict should be found "politically and peacefully", rejects foreign interference and calls for sanctions to be lifted.