Syria opposition: No indication Russia has interest in ceasefire

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Syria's opposition and civil society members on Friday criticized what they viewed as Russian complicity in the bombardment of Aleppo, which has killed hope of reviving a ceasefire.

Warplanes bombed Aleppo on Friday with what residents described as unprecedented ferocity after the Syrian army declared an offensive to fully capture Syria's biggest city.

The war pits Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, Iran and Arab Shi'ite militias, against Sunni rebel groups, including some supported by Washington, Turkey and Gulf Arab states.

Asked about the Aleppo bombardment, Bassma Kodmani, a member of the opposition High Negotiations Committee, said it was a "demonstration of the implications of the failure of yesterday's meeting."

The United States and Russia failed on Thursday at the United Nations to agree on how to revive a short-lived ceasefire.

"We can only say that the world is watching passively at the death of the Syrian population in Aleppo and a new wave of refugees," Kodmani told Reuters in New York.

"There's every indication that they (Russia) entirely condone the massive attack now on Aleppo and ... not only support it, they are part of it," Kodmani said.

U.S. President Barack Obama has been deeply reluctant to use more military force in Syria, a policy that has been the source of exasperation among some European and Gulf allies.

Kodmani said only a "credible threat of retaliation" would stop Assad's warplanes.

Russia and the United States on Sept. 9 agreed to a deal aimed at putting Syria's peace process back on track. It included a nationwide truce, improved humanitarian aid access and the possibility of joint military operations against al Qaeda-lined Nusra Front and Islamic State.

The truce effectively collapsed after a week when an aid convoy was bombed on Monday, killing some 20 people.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has tried to revive a deal with Russia, met with representatives of Syrian civil society groups on Thursday. They said the indiscriminate bombing of civilians must stop.

"Kerry and Obama's administration are going in circles ... talking to the Russians, thinking that the Russians will have any solutions and can contribute to the ceasefire. It's clear that the Russians will not do this," Mutasem Alsyofi of the Syrian Civil Society Declaration Initiative told Reuters in New York.

"And I don't know (how) someone keeps trying the same things and expecting different results," he said.

Russia, which intervened last year to prop up Assad, fears turmoil in his absence and thinks his regime is too fragile for major change, say multiple Russian foreign policy sources.

"We have to stop the regime from being able to use aircraft against civilians. This is a main part of any future policy," Seyoufi said.

Kodmani added: "I think if we say it's a moment of truth, it's a moment of truth for the international community, the United States, its allies, the U.N. And it's a tragic moment for the population of Aleppo."

(Reporting by Yara Bayoumy; editing by Grant McCool and Cynthia Osterman)