Roundup: Airstrike kills at least 39 in Syria, further clouds peace talks

At least 39 people were reportedly killed on Saturday in an airstrike targeting a prison in a rebel-held area in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, as mediators tried to put together peace talks between the various parties involved in the conflict.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based pro-opposition watchdog, said that the airstrike targeted a prison compound and the courthouse of the town of Maret al-Numan, adding that rebels as well as civilians and inmates were among those killed in the airstrike.

Other activists said the warplane that struck the prison of Maret al-Numan and the courthouse there was Russian, adding that the city is under the control of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

Separately, the Local Coordination Committees said that the Russian warplane fired four rockets in the airstrike, targeting a popular marketplace and the vicinity of the courthouse in Maret al-Numan. It said that 51 people were killed.

The opposition report cannot be independently verified.

Much of Idlib fell to the Jaish al-Fateh rebel group, which consists of several rebel factions, mainly the Nusra Front.

Russian warplanes have been pounding rebel positions in Syria since last September, which Syrian officials said is effective.

Meanwhile, mediators have been trying to put together peace talks involving both the Syrian government and the various opposition groups. It has been scheduled for Jan. 25 in Geneva.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said the Syrian government is ready to take part in the peace talks but nevertheless wanted to know which opposition figures would participate, state news agency SANA reported.

Al-Moallem also said in his meeting with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura in Damascus that the Syrian government wants to ensure that "terrorist" groups will not be represented.

It also demanded a list of groups that would be classified as terrorist.

The peace talks with hopes of a ceasefire were part of an international bid endorsed by the UN Security Council to end the conflict in Syria, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people over the past years.

The opposition groups and rebels, however, has said that they are doubtful over whether the peace talks can go ahead as planned. Some of them said that the government must first stop bombing civilian areas, release detainees and lift blockades of opposition-held areas.

One opposition official said the negotiating team would not be named before the Syrian government did so.

The tussle between Saudia Arabia and Iran has further added to the challenges in brokering a ceasefire. The two countries back different sides in Syria and tensions have escalated between them since Saudi Arabia executed Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Endi