Syria submits 5 names for possible peace talks

The Syrian regime has put forward a list of five officials including Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi as potential negotiators in talks with the opposition, European diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. The list, provided to Moscow in early March, also includes deputy prime minister Qadri Jamil and three other officials, the sources said. The United States and Russia are looking to broker an international peace conference bringing together representatives of President Bashar al-Assad's regime and members of the opposition in a bid to end more than two years of fighting that has claimed more than 94,000 lives. Momentum has been gathering for the talks -- expected to be held in Geneva next month -- but no date has been set. One of the diplomatic sources said the list put forward by Damascus was "subject to change" as it would need to be approved by the opposition. A senior French official told AFP that some of the names proposed by the Syrian regime were "unacceptable". The opposition is to meet in Istanbul on Thursday to decide on whether to participate in the peace conference.