Syrian opposition postponed decision to participate in Geneve-2 conference

The oppositional Syrian National Coalition would postpone until January 17 the decision on whether to participate in the Geneva-2 peace conference, a coalition representative said late Tuesday. Ria Novosti writes about this.

The conference, lobbied by the United States and Russia and set to kick off on January 22, is expected to negotiate a peaceful end to the civil strife in Syria.

While Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed to participate, the opposition remains split on the issue.

The moderate Syrian National Coalition, which is holding a congress outside Istanbul this week, previously called to postpone Geneva-2.

A number of Islamist groups earlier rejected the conference and threatened violence against participants.

The UN said on Tuesday it would stop counting the victims because of limited access to information on the ground.