Syrian rebels say talks with Russian officers over south fail

Syrian rebel negotiators and Russian officers failed on Wednesday to reach an agreement that would end fighting in southern Syria by restoring state sovereignty over remaining opposition held towns, the rebel spokesman said.

"The talks with the Russian enemy in Bosra al-Sham have failed because of their insistence on handing over heavy weapons," Abu Shaima, a spokesman of the central operations room representing main Free Syrian Army factions negotiating with the Russians told Reuters.

Accompanied by a major Russian aerial bombing campaign that has led to some of the fastest mass displacements of the war, Syrian pro-government forces have marched swiftly into insurgent territory in Deraa province over the past two weeks.

Another rebel spokesman Ibrahim al Jabawi said negotiations failed to reach any conclusion with the Russian side insisting on handing over heavy weapons in one go rather than in stages as the opposition demanded after the return of tens of thousands of displaced Syrians.

Rebels had begun a final round of talks on Wednesday where they had prepared a response to a series of demands by Russian officers that included handing over heavy weapons and restoring state sovereignty over towns in Deraa province still in rebel hands. The first round of talks on Saturday had prompted a walkout by the rebels, who said the terms handed by the Russians amounted to a humiliating surrender. The opposition team was then persuaded by Jordan to go back to the negotiating table, official sources said.