Russia says next round of Syria talks in Moscow on Apr.6-9

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The next round of talks in Moscow between the rival sides in the Syrian conflict will take place on April 6-9, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The first round of Moscow talks did not involve the main insurgents in Syria and were shunned by key Western-backed political opposition groups distrustful of Russia, a long-standing ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But Washington has since said that a transition in Syria must be negotiated with Damascus, comments that could signal efforts to reignite peace talks over the conflict in which radical Islamists have steadily gained the upper hand. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Alexander Winning)