Rebel groups in Syria say they are rejecting peace talks in Geneva later this month unless humanitarian conditions mentioned in a UN resolution are fulfilled, the Associated Press reports.
In a statement Wednesday, January 13, the Free Syrian Army and 33 other factions and rebel groups — including the powerful Army of Islam — say the humanitarian clauses specified in the resolution must be met.
Unless this happens, the statement says: "We reject going ahead with any negotiations."
The UN has been urging the belligerents in Syria's five-year-conflict to the negotiating table on January 25 in an effort to find a resolution to a civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced half the country's population.
