Geneva: The International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday said that it was holding a meeting with Syria`s main opposition group in Geneva, a day after the humanitarian agency called for temporary pauses in the fighting so that it can bring in emergency aid and evacuate the wounded and sick from affected areas.

Russia, which has opposed harsher international measures to end Syrian President Bashar Assad`s crackdown on anti-government protests, voiced support today for a daily two-hour humanitarian cease-fire in Syria. Red Cross spokesman Hisham Hassan said the meeting with members of the Syrian National Council was part of the aid group`s efforts to "be in touch with all those who might have an impact in Syria."
The Red Cross says negotiations with Syrian authorities and opposition groups are at a very early stage. Its head of operations for the Middle East, Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, said Tuesday that the ICRC had almost no contacts with opposition figures inside Syria.

"Therefore we have to look for contacts outside Syria, and that takes time," she said. PTI