Syrian opposition groups meet in Riyadh

Opposition groups from within Syria and abroad launched their scheduled meeting Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The meeting's inauguration was attended by Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, who welcomed the participants, wishing them an effective outcome.

According to the SPA, the talks will witness "massive" participation from Syria's opposition groups, and news reports indicated that the event attracted over 100 representatives.

Before the official start of the meeting Wednesday, several opposition figures reportedly participated in negotiations, also in Riyadh, involving foreign diplomats, including those from Russia.

The Syrian National Coalition has said it would seize the opportunity to unify moderate opposition forces in the formation of an interim government in accordance with agreements reached earlier in Geneva, Arab News reported Friday.

The Riyadh conference is the latest attempt to end the opposition groups' long-standing disunity and to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict that has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced millions of others.
 Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
9/12/15