France, Russia, U.S. Identifying Syrian Officials for Talks

France, Russia and the United States are trying to draw up a list of Syrian officials with whom the opposition can negotiate, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Tuesday.

"We worked together on an idea... of a list of Syrian officials who would be acceptable to Syria's opposition National Coalition," he told the foreign affairs committee of the National Assembly.

Fabius said Syria's opposition chief Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib had said in a "very brazen manner" that he was willing to negotiate with some regime officials but not President Bashar Assad.

"We have discussed this with the Russians and the Americans... There have been exchanges to seek a political solution," he said.

The Syrian conflict, approaching its third year, has claimed more than 70,000 lives, according to the United Nations.