MOSCOW. Feb 26 (Interfax) - Extremists have evidently prevailed in the Syrian opposition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"It seemed to us just a few days ago that conditions for all sides to sit down at the negotiating table and start to discuss their country's future took shape, and calls appeared in favor of such a dialogue without preconditions. But these approaches were subsequently denied," he said at a press conference after talks with Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans in Moscow on Tuesday.

Syrian opposition members reiterated earlier that they were prepared for talks with the Syrian government only if President Bashar al-Assad agreed to step down.

"Apparently, extremists who are placing their bets on a military solution to the Syrian problem and blocking any initiatives leading to this dialogue have prevailed in the opposition, including the so-called National Coalition, at the current stage," Lavrov said.