Syria's main opposition group opened key talks Thursday, May 23, in Istanbul to debate whether to negotiate with the regime on ending the bloody two-year civil war, as proposed by the U.S. and Russia, AFP reports.
During their three-day meeting, the Syrian National Coalition -- which is under fire from both its backers abroad and rebels on the ground -- is also expected to choose a new president, discuss expansion to include new members and decide the fate of an interim rebel government, opposition members said.
The meeting in Turkey comes as rebels face a massive onslaught by President Bashar al-Assad's forces and Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah in insurgent bastion Qusayr, in central Syria.
The opposition has long held that it can only enter into talks with members of the regime given international guarantees that talks would lead to his fall from power.
"There is a condition that Assad resigns" under the U.S.-Russian peace initiative dubbed Geneva 2, Coalition member Salem al-Moslet said on the conference sidelines.
However, with numerous thorny issues on the Coalition's plate, Moslet added that the issue was not on the agenda for Thursday.
The meeting starts a day after backers of the anti-Assad uprising gathered in Jordan to push for peace in Syria.
The meeting included U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his British counterpart William Hague.
In their closing statement early Thursday, the Friends of Syria group told Assad to commit to peace, warning that they would boost their backing of the opposition if he failed to negotiate a political transition.
In Istanbul, some regime opponents said it was unclear whether they would be able to make a final decision on Geneva 2 by the end of their meeting.
The Coalition is under pressure from its international backers to enter talks with the Assad regime, but if it complies the group risks losing what little legitimacy it has left with fighters on the ground.
"The Coalition and (key opposition movement) the Syrian National Council have made clear their condition to any talks is the resignation of Bashar al-Assad," Coalition member Samir Nashar said.
