PARIS/UNITED NATIONS — Syrian rebels called on US President Barack Obama to do more to stop Russian bombing raids in support of a military offensive by forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad that threatens to scupper new peace talks this week.
World powers are meeting in Germany on Thursday in an attempt to revive peace efforts, but with Moscow backing a government push for all-out military victory, opposition delegates and Western officials see little hope of a breakthrough.
United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura halted the first attempt to negotiate an end to Syria's war in two years after an unprecedented offensive by forces loyal to Al-Assad against Western-backed rebels supported by Russian airstrikes.
In an attempt to prevent a collapse of diplomatic efforts to end Syria's five-year-old civil war, US Secretary of State John Kerry is pushing for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid access ahead of a meeting of the so-called International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Munich.
But one UN diplomatic source said Russia was "stringing Kerry along" in order to provide diplomatic cover for Moscow's real goal - to help Assad win on the battlefield instead of compromising at the negotiating table.
"It's clear to everyone now that Russia really doesn't want a negotiated solution but for Assad to win," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A senior adviser to Assad, Bouthaina Shaaban, told Reuters that there would be no let-up in the army advance, which aimed to recapture Aleppo from rebels and secure Syria's border with Turkey.
Saudi-backed rebels said they would go to Munich and attend UN peace talks later this month but called on Obama to be more forceful with Russia over its bombing.
Spokesman Salim Al-Muslat said: "I believe he can really stop these attacks by the Russians on Syrians. If he is willing to save our children it is really the time now to say 'no' to these strikes in Syria."
"I believe he can do it but it is really strange for us that we don't hear this from him," Muslat told Reuters.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also questioned the commitment of the United States to resolving the war.
"There are the ambiguities including among the actors of the coalition ... I'm not going to repeat what I've said before about the main pilot of the coalition," Fabius said. "But we don't have the feeling that there is a very strong commitment that is there."
Rebel groups say that while Washington has put pressure on them to attend peace talks, they see less help on the battlefield. Appeals for anti-aircraft missiles to counter the latest offensive are falling on deaf ears.
Target date
De Mistura set a target date of Feb. 25 to reconvene talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva.But in less than two weeks, the offensive by Syrian forces, Hezbollah and Shiite militias directed by Iran — all backed by Russian bombing raids — have reversed opposition gains on the ground and encircled rebels inside Aleppo, a strategic prize now divided between government and opposition control. — Reuters
