Russia charges Washington acting against Sochi conf.

MOSCOW, Jan 12 (KUNA) -- Russia on Friday accused the United States of America of plotting to jeopardize efforts to hold a conciliation conference for Syria in the Black Sea city Sochi.
"We have observed American bids to undermine efforts to hold the Syrian national dialogue convention in Sochi," said Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson at a news conference.
Zakharova accused Washington of supplying advanced arms to "gunmen and regrouping them in Syria," saying such acts impact negatively on the efforts to hold the talks and on bids to unify the opposition.
Russia is seeking to hold the conference in Sochi in end of January, she said, explaining a final date for the gathering would be set later.
Moscow, which has sponsored Syrian-Syrian talks in Astana, is seeking to create a third avenue for the conciliation efforts in Sochi -- in addition to the main track in Geneva. (end) as.rk