Syria's opposition leader met Russia's top diplomat on Tuesday in a bid to persuade Moscow to push its ally Damascus to agree to a transitional government for the war-scarred nation.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov announced that the Syrian government planned to send a large shipment of toxic agents out of the country this month and is prepared to complete the removal process by March 1.
"Literally yesterday the Syrian announced that the removal of a large shipment of chemical substances is planned in February. They are ready to complete this process by March 1," state-run Russia news agency RIA quoted Gatilov as saying.
The talks between Syrian National Coalition chief Ahmad Jarba and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov came after an inconclusive 10-day peace conference in Geneva concluded on Friday without a commitment from Damascus to attend a new round of negotiations set for February 10.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/russian-fm-meets-syrian-opposition-over-peace-talks