Syrian opposition group refuses to attend Geneva peace talks

The main Syrian opposition group within the Syrian National Coalition said Sunday it would not attend a proposed peace conference in Geneva and would quit if the whole coalition participated.

“The Syrian National Council, which is the biggest bloc in the Coalition, has taken the firm decision... not to go to Geneva, under the present circumstances (on the ground),” Council president George Sabra told Agence France-Presse.

“This means that we will not stay in the Coalition if it goes” to the peace talks in Geneva, he added.

He said the SNC will not negotiate before the fall of the regime amid the ongoing suffering of Syrians on the ground, according to AFP.

The international community has been pushing for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the Syrian opposition to hold peace talks dubbed "Geneva II" to find a political solution to the conflict.

The meeting has been delayed for months, but Russia and the U.S. have been discussing potentially holding the peace conference by mid-November.

The Syrian opposition though has said it will not negotiate until Assad’s regime steps down.

(With AFP)