To Blunt Criticism Of it's Support To The Asssad Regime, Russia Wants To Meet With The Syrian Rebels

Russia Calls For Meeting With Syrian Opposition -- New York Times

MOSCOW — Russia has shown a burst of diplomatic energy before talks here on Saturday with the United Nations envoy on Syria, perhaps seeing a chance for a breakthrough that would temper the criticism it has drawn in the West and the Arab world during the course of the nearly two-year-old Syrian conflict.

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, on Friday made his first overtures toward the largest exile Syrian opposition coalition, saying that he had requested a meeting with its leader, Sheik Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib. The United States, Britain and several Persian Gulf nations have recognized the coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people, but Moscow has so far refused.

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Update: Syria opposition leader rejects Moscow invitation -- Reuters

My Comment: I am not surprised by the Syrian rebel decision to not accepts Russia's offer for talks. In their eyes they see Russia as the problem .... not the solution. For a better understanding on why the UN has failed in reconciling the different factions involved in the Syrian civil war, and why Russia is behaving in the manner that it has been since the start of the civil war, read this post.