By Fatih Erel
GENEVA
The convention which gave Turkey control over the Bosporus Strait and regulates the transit of warships was signed in 1936 in Le Montreux Palace hotel, the same hotel which on Wednesday, will host a conference with the aim of ending the Syrian civil war.
The signing of the Montreux convention was a key event in the history of the Turkish Republic as it gave Turkey control of the Bosporus Strait after two decades.
Overlooking the French Alps, situated a few meters from the tranquil shores of Lake Geneva, the 235 room hotel, will bring together the participants of the three-year conflict which has resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 people.
After months of uncertainty, the main opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition agreed on Saturday to attend the UN conference brokered by the US and Russia dubbed 'Geneva II'.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is also due to participate while the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolution Forces (SNCORF) Chairman Ahmed al-Jabra is expected to participate in the conference on the opposition side.
Syria's main opposition group met Sunday in Istanbul to name members of a delegation who will negotiate with the Syrian government delegation in the peace talks.
The opposition wants the creation of a transitional government without Syrian President Bashar Assad and elections in the country.
The participants in addition to the United Nations, are the P5 (US, UK, Russia, China, France), the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, the High Representative of the European Union, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in addition to these participants, 26 countries which are expected to be in Montreux: Algeria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Ban Ki-moon will be convening the conference on Syria, which will be held in Montreux, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Further talks will follow on Friday in Geneva.
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