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| Syrian conflict: Rebels threaten to boycott Astana talks | Syrian conflict: Rebels threaten to boycott Astana talks |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Syrian rebel groups say they are suspending participation in the preparations for peace talks planned by Russia and Turkey for later this month. | Syrian rebel groups say they are suspending participation in the preparations for peace talks planned by Russia and Turkey for later this month. |
| In a statement, the rebels cited "many and large violations" of the ceasefire by the Syrian government as the reason for their move. | In a statement, the rebels cited "many and large violations" of the ceasefire by the Syrian government as the reason for their move. |
| Turkey and Russia brokered the ceasefire deal that has mostly held since last Thursday. | Turkey and Russia brokered the ceasefire deal that has mostly held since last Thursday. |
| The peace talks are due to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan. | The peace talks are due to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan. |
| "The regime and its allies have continued firing and committed many and large violations," said the statement signed by a number of Syrian rebel groups on Monday. | |
| "As these violations are continuing, the rebel factions announce... the freezing of all discussion linked to the Astana negotiations," they said. | |
| On New Year's Eve, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to welcome the Russia-Turkey efforts to end the Syrian fighting and to organise peace talks. | |
| Rebels accused the government in the run-up to the vote of bombing the rebel-held Wadi Barada area of Damascus and threatened to pull out of the talks. | |
| The new ceasefire deal applies across Syria but excludes the jihadists of so-called Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), and the Kurdish YPG militia. | |
| Who is included in the truce agreement? | |
| On the one side, Syrian government forces, allied militias and the Russian military. | |
| On the other, the FSA plus several other groups. | |
| The Russian defence ministry named seven "moderate opposition formations" included in the truce as Faylaq al-Sham, Ahrar al-Sham, Jaysh al-Islam, Thuwwar Ahl al-Sham, Jaysh al-Mujahidin, Jaysh Idlib and Jabhah al-Shamiya. | |
| Ahrar al-Sham, which said it had "reservations" about the deal, and Jaysh al-Islam are Islamist groups that Russia has previously described as terrorist organisations. | |
| Who is not included? | |
| IS and JFS and the groups affiliated to them are not part of the agreement, according to the Syrian army. | |
| JFS said on Friday it would continue to fight President Assad, with a spokesman saying the political solution under the truce would "reproduce the criminal regime". | |
| Members of the group are currently operating as part of a rebel alliance that controls Idlib province. | |
| The FSA also said the deal did not include the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG). | |
| The militia, which has captured large swathes of north-eastern Syria from IS with US support, is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey. | |
| The truce is nominally nationwide, although it really only covers the areas where the sides who have signed up have a presence - western Syria. |