Russia's Lavrov says fighting 'terrorism' should unite Syrian opposition, Damascus

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman in Moscow, January 26, 2015. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged members of the Syrian opposition and representatives from Damascus at peace talks in Moscow on Wednesday to join forces to combat the threat of "terrorism". Expectations of a breakthrough in Moscow are low, but Russia hopes the talks will give some impetus to a long-stalled peace process in the four-year conflict. "We believe that the understanding by politicians and leading representatives of civil society of the necessity to join forces to combat this common threat (of terrorism) should become the key for the resurrection of the unity of the Syrian nation," Lavrov told both sides of the talks. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, Writing by Thomas Grove)