The Syrian government and rebels held fast today to their uncompromising stances toward each other, a day after a date was announced for them to sit down to peace talks in Geneva.
The opposition National Coalition repeated its long-standing rejection of President Bashar al-Assad having any role in the country's future, while the regime said it would press on with its war against "terrorism."
Meanwhile, a car bomb killed 15 people at a bus stop west of Damascus, state television said.
And jihadists reportedly executed a rebel leader for apostasy, another sign of the growing fissions in the opposition camp in a war that has taken more than 120,000 lives and displaced millions.
The Coalition said it "affirms its absolute rejection of Assad or any of the criminals responsible for killing the Syrian people playing any role in a transitional body... Or in Syria's political future."
But it said it considers as "very positive" that a date has been set, following UN chief Ban Ki-moon's announcement yesterday that talks would begin in Geneva on January 22.
It also said that, in preparing for what has been dubbed Geneva II, world powers must "ensure humanitarian supplies reach all areas of Syria, while all prisoners must be set free" and that there should be "an immediate end" to massacres in the country.
Geneva II must "implement all the provisions of Geneva I", which in June 2012 envisaged the creation a transitional government, but did not stipulate that Assad should step down.
For its part, the regime has said that there should be no preconditions for talks, and Assad has said he might be willing to run for re-election in 2014.
Today, pro-regime daily Al-Watan cited a letter from Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to the United Nations as saying "the war against the terrorism that is targeting Syrian citizens is key to ensuring the success of any peaceful solution."
In the first official reaction to the announcement of a date for talks, Muallem added: "An end to violence and terrorism requires the countries that support the armed terrorist groups... Stop arming, funding and giving them logistical support."
Muallem singled out Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey by name.
