The Syrian authorities agreed to a Russian offer to hold talks with opposition representatives in Moscow to solve the problem in the country.

The Syrian authorities agreed to a Russian offer to hold talks with opposition representatives in Moscow to solve the problem in the country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Monday that it had suggested to both the Syrian authorities and the opposition that they should meet in Moscow for "informal contacts" without any preconditions.

“Our offer has already received a positive response from the Syrian authorities. We are expecting that the opposition will also give their assent in the next days and put the interests of the Syrian people before any other ideas," it said.

The foreign ministry added that “the talks in Moscow were acutely necessary for the immediate cessation of all violence in Syria and preventing a bloody split in society."

“They would also help ensure the success for profound democratic changes in the country, in line with the hopes of all Syrians,” it further explained, indicating that “its offer was motivated by its desire to see an end to the crisis through a peaceful mechanism worked out by the Syrians themselves, without international interference."

For its part, the Syrian opposition announced Monday its rejection to talk with the regime before President Bashar Al-Assad “steps down”.

Head of the Syrian National Council Burhan Ghalious told AFP that “the resignation of Al-Assad is the condition for any negotiation on the transition to a democratic government in Syria.”