Syria says ready to enter new peace talks

Syria's regime said Thursday it was ready to take part in new talks in Geneva aimed at ending the war, but appeared to make its participation conditional on which opposition groups attend.

Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus "is ready to participate in the Syrian-Syrian dialogue in Geneva without any foreign interference".

Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing a proposed peace plan to bring the regime and opposition together for talks in January.

The plan is the result of nearly two months of strenuous efforts among top diplomats from 17 countries, including regime backers Russia and Iran.

But it does not address the sharpest difference between opposition groups and the regime: the fate of President Bashar al-Assad.

Muallem's comments seemed to indicate government approval of the plan -- but with apparent preconditions.

Syria had rejected "foreign interference", and the government's negotiating team "will be ready as soon as we receive a list of the opposition delegation", he said.

On the ground, regime air raids killed 10 children among 28 civilians in the rebel-held area of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, said a monitor.

Islamic State (IS) group jihadists meanwhile pushed further into a key eastern city in fighting that reportedly left more than two dozen loyalists dead.