ISTANBUL (AA) - A major Syrian opposition group has announced it will attend an international conference planned next month for a political solution to the long-boiling civil war in the Middle East country.
Istanbul-based Syrian National Coalition (SNC) held a meeting in the Turkish metropolis late on Thursday where the group settled its position on the Geneva-2 conference and a political transition in Syria.
SNC officials agreed that the Geneva Communique, drafted after the first conference in Geneva in June last year, must be fully implemented, and the Syrian regime must accept a transitional government without its embattled leader Bashar al-Assad, sources from the group told AA.
During the meeting, the SNC called for facilitation of access to humanitarian aid and medical support in a country where millions are away from home as winter draws near.
Earlier this week, nineteen opposition groups rejected negotiating with the Assad government, saying it would be an "act of treason."
AA correspondent says the SNC will not avoid a conference where the Assad team's proposals are accommodated, but will use the platform to voice their unequivocal precondition for a political resolution - Assad's ouster.
SNC also called on Iran to 'recognize Syria's sovereignty, be a party to peace and not to bloodshed, and remove its troops fighting in Syria.'
englishnews@aa.com.tr
