Free Syrian Army Commander Says His Group Will Not Join Planned Peace Talks

"We will not stop combat at all during the Geneva conference or after it, and what concerns us is getting needed weapons for our fighters."

(Reuters)—The commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said on Tuesday his group would not join a planned peace conference in Switzerland in January and would pursue its fight to topple President Bashar al-Assad regardless.

General Salim Idriss's stance highlights how hard it will be for international mediators to get Syria's warring and divided parties to the negotiating table in Geneva.

Assad's government has said it will attend the Geneva talks but will accept no preconditions and will put any agreement to a referendum—a vote which opposition figures say will be rigged against them.