THE Syrian opposition demanded yesterday that Damascus declares a unilateral ceasefire as a precondition of Monday’s peace talks in Geneva.

With just three days to go before the negotiations, opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) deputy head George Sabra demanded a halt to Russian air strikes and Syrian army sieges of rebel-held areas.

Mr Sabra told the Reuters agency that even indirect talks between the government and rebels — proposed by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday — were out of the question.