Syrian opposition figures and representatives of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad began talks in Moscow on Wednesday aimed at restarting long-stalled peace negotiations to end the country's brutal war.

The 32 members of various opposition groups tolerated by the authorities in Damascus and six members of the official Syrian delegation led by the ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari met at 0700 GMT, one of the opposition participants told AFP.

The Kremlin-sponsored talks were not expected to yield a major breakthrough as the main opposition group, the exiled National Coalition, has refused to attend.