Riyadh, Jan 29 (IANS): The Syrian opposition announced on Thursday that they will not attend the Geneva talks aiming to find a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis, Al Arabiya local news reported.

George Sabra, deputy chief of the Syrian opposition negotiating team, told Al Hadith local channel that the opposition delegation will not go to Geneva, noting that there will not be negotiations without the participation of the opposition. "We will be heading to Geneva shortly after all obstacles are removed," said Sabra.

The opposition attributed the decision to the ongoing airstrikes that are killing civilians and the starvation of innocent people in Syria.

The opposition High Negotiation Committee (HNC) held a meeting yesterday here that ended without a final decision. The HNC released on Tuesday a statement demanding genuine improvements on the ground before starting the negotiations.

The talks were expected to start on Friday.