Iran's military chief, General Mohammad Baqeri meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syria in this handout picture provided by SANA on October 19, 2017. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The main Syrian opposition body said on Thursday a Russian-sponsored Syrian peace conference later this month represented a deviation from U.N.-led diplomacy and an attempt to rehabilitate President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

“We, in the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), insist on rejecting discussion of Syria’s future outside the legal, U.N. framework,” the HNC said in a statement sent to Reuters.