Syrian opposition leader to meet Iranian FM -diplomatic source

Syrian rebels captured a strategic neighborhood near Aleppo's international airport on Saturday, putting opposition fighters in control of a key road that the regime has used to ferry supplies and reinforcements to soldiers fighting in the embattled northern city, activists said.     

Troops loyal to President Bashar Assad and rebels have been locked in a deadly stalemate in Aleppo, Syria's largest urban center and main commercial hub, since an opposition assault last summer. Seven months later, the rebels hold large parts of the city and its outskirts, including several army bases, but they have been unable to overcome the regime's far superior firepower.     

The capturing of the Sheik Said neighborhood, southeast of Aleppo, is a significant blow to regime forces because the area includes a major road, linking the northern city with the airport. The army has used the road to supply troops.     

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels captured the area Saturday after several days of fierce battles with Assad's troops. Rebels have previously established enclaves outside Syria's major cities to threaten the regime, including near the capital, Damascus, but they were later attacked by Assad's fighter jets and artillery.    
      

In Germany:

The head of the Syrian opposition Moaz Alkhatib told Reuters he had met Russia's foreign minister in Munich and had been invited to visit Moscow.   

Alkhatib, president of the Syrian National Coalition, said he had received a "clear invitation" from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit Moscow, a breakthrough in relations that could help pave the way for a solution to the Syrian crisis.    

"Russia has a certain vision but we welcome negotiations to alleviate the crisis and there are lots of details that need to be discussed," Alkhatib said after the talks.

This as, a diplomatic source told Reuters that Alkhatib will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Munich.   

"The talks about Syria are intensifying and the Iranians have been drawn in. Let's see how it all ends," the source said.   

Earlier, Vice President Joe Biden said, "The opposition (to Assad) continues to grow stronger."     

Speaking at an annual security conference in Munich, Biden stated the conviction of the U.S. and many others. "President Assad  a tyrant hell-bent on clinging to power  is no longer fit to lead the Syrian people and he must go," Biden said.          
       
However, Lavrov told the gathering of top security officials that Biden's statement that Assad must go was counterproductive.     

"The persistence of those who say that priority No. 1 is the removal of President Assad  I think it's the single biggest reason for the continued tragedy in Syria," Lavrov said.


AP/REUTERS