Russia says Syria peace talks in Geneva pushed back
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Russia's foreign minister says upcoming Syria peace talks in Geneva have been pushed back for late February.
Sergey Lavrov spoke at a meeting on Friday in Moscow with some opposition groups. Rebel factions fighting to oust President Bashar Assad had declined an invitation to the meeting.
Lavrov says U.N.-mediated Geneva talks, previously set for Feb. 8, have been postponed until the end of the month. He didn't elaborate on the reasons for the postponement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Lavrov welcomed this week's Syria peace talks in Kazakhstan that brought rebel factions face-to-face with Assad's representatives for the first time in the six-year conflict.
He also said that Russia has floated a draft of a new Syrian constitution in a bid to encourage debate — not an attempt to enforce Moscow's will on the Syrians.