Syrian opposition holds talks in Cairo on forming united front

A delegation of Syrian opposition groups arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, one day after the arrival of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution.
A meeting between the various Syrian opposition entities is scheduled to take place on 22 January at the foreign ministry’s Council of Foreign Relations.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Badr Abdelatty said the “meeting objective is strengthening the opposition forces in Syria”, adding that Egypt is merely hosting the delegation and is not interfering with the talks.
Among the confirmed leading opposition figures that will participate in the meeting is the head of the Syrian Coordination Authority, Hassan AbdelAzeem. However, there is no clear identification on the total number of the other participating opposition leaders and groups.
“Our main focus now is on laying down the principles of dialogue with other opposition blocs that will be present at the meeting,” said Salem Al-Meslet, Syrian Coalition spokesperson, in a statement on the group’s official website.
He added that there is also a need for a clear framework for negotiations with the Al-Assad regime. The statement added that the Syrian coalition demands that the transitional process is based on the Geneva I communiqué adopted by the UN Security Council resolution No 2118 in 2013.
Russia, known for its Syrian regime sympathies since the conflict’s 2011 commencement, will receive Al-Assad regime and opposition figures in Moscow at the end of January to discuss further political solutions.