Turkey and Russia to invite U.S. to Syria talks: Turkish minister

Turkey and Russia have decided to invite the United States to Syria peace talks due to be held this month in the Kazakh capital Astana, Turkey's foreign minister said on Saturday.

"The United States can invite Daesh (Islamic State) too. First of all, as you know, we agreed with Russia on inviting the United States. I spoke with (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov and we will invite the United States. They will be in Astana. We don't deny the role of United States," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

Cavusoglu reiterated that Turkey remained opposed to the inclusion of the Syrian Kurdish militant group YPG in the peace talks.

The Syrian government and rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began a nationwide ceasefire on Dec. 30 brokered by Moscow and Ankara.

The agreement aims to pave the way for new peace talks, which Russia hopes to convene in the Kazakh capital Astana later this month with Turkish and Iranian support.

The date and its participants remain unclear.

Turkey and Russia have decided to invite the United States to Syria peace talks due to be held this month in the Kazakh capital Astana, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday (January 14).

Cavusoglu reiterated that Turkey remained opposed to the inclusion of the Syrian Kurdish militant group YPG in the talks

"We have given them (YPG) opportunities to stop seceding Syria and carrying out terrorist activities in Turkey. We saw their intentions. Our operation 'Euphrates Shield' once again showed that YPG is not aiming to fight against Daesh but to divide Syria," Cavusoglu told reporters in capital Ankara.

The Syrian government and rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began a nationwide ceasefire on Dec. 30 brokered by Moscow and Ankara.

The agreement aims to pave the way for new peace talks, which Russia hopes to convene in the Kazakh capital Astana later this month with Turkish and Iranian support.

The date and its participants remain unclear.

United Nations Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura has said he intends to convene separate peace talks in Geneva on Feb. 8. The U.N.-backed talks have been held intermittently. Russia says the Kazakh talks would complement, rather than compete with the U.N. talks.

The Moscow-led effort to revive diplomacy, without the participation of the United States, has emerged with Assad buoyed by the defeat of rebels in Aleppo, and as ties thaw between Russia and Turkey, long one of the rebels' main backers.

Air strikes and clashes, particularly near the Syrian capital Damascus, have tarnished the shaky ceasefire since it began two weeks ago, and the warring sides have accused each other of violations.