Syria's regime said today it was ready to take part in new talks in Geneva aimed at ending the war but appeared to make its participation conditional on which opposition groups will attend.
It came as the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group pushed further into a key city in eastern Syria in fighting that left more than two dozen regime loyalists reported dead.
During an official visit to China today, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus "is ready to participate in the Syrian-Syrian dialogue in Geneva without any foreign interference."
Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing a peace plan aimed at bringing the regime and opposition together for talks in January.
The plan is the product of a nearly two-month diplomatic flurry among top diplomats from 17 countries, including regime backers Russia and Iran.
But it does not address the sharpest difference between opposition groups and the regime: the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Muallem's comments on Thursday seemed to indicate government approval of the plan -- but with apparent preconditions.
He said Syria rejected "foreign interference" and the government's negotiating team "will be ready as soon as we receive a list of the opposition delegation".
Speaking after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Muallem said Syria was waiting to receive a list of "terrorist organisations" that would not be allowed to participate in the talks.
The UN tasked Jordan with creating the banned list, which was submitted Friday and apparently included IS and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front.
But Syria's government has systematically referred to all its opponents, including non-Islamist groups, as "terrorists".
A landmark summit in Saudi Arabia earlier this month saw armed and political branches of the opposition agree to talks with Assad's government.
The opposition delegation to future peace negotiations is expected to include the factions present in Riyadh, as well as other groups on the ground in Syria.
The UN resolution calls for talks in early January that would lead to the "establishment of an inclusive transitional governing body with full executive powers" within six months.
Muallem, however, only referred to an eventual "national unity government".
He said Damascus would "compose a constitutional committee to look for a new constitution with a new law of election so the parliamentary election will be held within the period of 18 months, more or less".
