Syria's opposition chief extended a hand on Monday to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad but said it was now up to him to take the next step towards dialogue between Syria's warring parties.

In a telephone interview with pan-Arab channel Al-Jazeera, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib said negotiating with regime officials would not be treason, as his detractors had said after his announcement last week that he was willing to talk.

Khatib, head of the main opposition National Coalition, said earlier he was ready to meet regime officials provided the authorities release "160,000 detainees" and renew passports for Syrians stranded outside the country.

"The ball is now in the regime's court. They will either say yes or no," Khatib told Al-Jazeera on Monday.

"I say to Bashar al-Assad: look into the eyes of your children and try to find a solution. You will see that we will help each other in the interest of your country," he added.

"The regime needs to take a clear position. We will extend our hands for the sake of the people, and in order to help the regime leave in peace," said Khatib.

Khatib's statement last week on negotiations with conditions was backed by the Coalition, a grouping of externally-based opposition groups, but only if they led to the fall of the regime.

But the idea of direct talks has already been rejected by the Syrian National Council, the main body in the coalition, which opposes any negotiations before Assad's departure.

While some opponents immediately denounced Khatib's proposal as traitorous, he said on Monday he "rejected" the label. "Our people are dying, and we will not allow that," Khatib said.

Khatib, whose family are custodians of the Umayyad Mosque in the historic center of Damascus, is seen as a bulwark against Salafist forces who are a main player in the armed opposition.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Monday that Tehran would continue talks with the Syrian opposition following a preliminary meeting at the weekend.

"We had 45 minutes to an hour discussion which was very fruitful and we committed ourselves to continue this discussion," Salehi told a foreign-policy think tank in Berlin after meeting Khatib at a security conference in the southern German city of Munich.

Saleh on Sunday called the talks with Khatib a "very good meeting" and "a good step forward."

AFP - Reuters