DHAKA: Syria’s main opposition alliance says it will attend planned peace talks, if a number of conditions are met.

After a vote early on Monday, the National Coalition reiterated that president Bashar al-Assad would ‘have no role in the transitional period’, reports the BBC.

It also called for relief agencies to be guaranteed access to besieged areas, and for the release of all detainees, particularly women and children.

The Syrian government has rejected any preconditions for the Geneva talks.

The UN, US and Russia had been trying to convene the meeting by the end of November.

But UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said last week that the conference would be delayed, although he was still ‘striving’ for a summit by the end of the year.

The National Coalition reached the agreement after two days of talks in Istanbul.

BDST: 1625 HRS, NOV 11, 2013
RoR/RIS