DHAKA: A Syrian opposition meeting is due to begin in Saudi Arabia that will discuss ways to overcome their differences before potential talks with the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The talks, due to take place from Tuesday, are seen as the most serious effort yet to unify the opposition groups, a step considered vital to peace talks sought by world powers but which has angered Iran.

Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, had said last week that his country was in contact with various Syrian opposition groups about the meeting, in the run-up to peace talks in Vienna due in January.

‘Riyadh is trying to bring as broad a cross-section of Syrian opposition groups as possible,’ Jubeir had said, adding that groups on ‘terrorist lists’ such as the Islamic State (IS) of Iraq and Syria would not be part of the talks.

The Riyadh meeting is meant to bring rebels, or those who represent them, to the table when negotiations begin.

However, Iran has said the meeting is aimed at harming the Vienna peace talks and would cause their failure.

The Vienna process envisages formal talks between the Syrian government and the opposition by January 1.

The Syrian National Coalition, headed by Khaled Khoja, aims to replace Syria’s current leadership with a transitional government after achieving international recognition.

‘When we held a meeting with the Saudis a while back they made it clear that Bashar al-Assad is not, and will not, be part of any peace process or transitional government in Syria,’ SNC’s Nagham al-Ghadri had told Al Jazeera.

BDST: 1602 HRS, DEC 08, 2015
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