Syria opposition members meet in Istanbul

Syria's main opposition group, known as the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, has met here to discuss whether or not to partake in an international peace conference that western powers want to hold in Geneva. Speaking to KUNA on the meeting, Khaled Khuja, a member of the group, said the meeting will mainly consider a single position on possible involvement in the planned Geneva II Conference on Syria. The meeting, which comes at a critical time for the Syrian situation, will also discuss the opposition caretaker government and Kurds, he added. There are suppositions that Syria's main opposition group is not going to attend the international conference on Syria, but it comes under stupendous pressure by western countries, primarily the US, to join the gathering. No date has yet been agreed for the conference, dubbed Geneva II, at which world powers hope to gather delegates from the warring parties, as well as regional Arab states, before the end of the year. The coalition leader Ahmat Jarba had announced strict conditions for the opposition to take part, insisting that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's departure and regime change are on the table. Jarba had also demanded a ceasefire for the duration of the talks.