Syrian Opposition to Meet in Riyadh Ahead of Geneva Talks - Reports

Members of the Syrian opposition will continue talks on participation in the upcoming Geneva intra-Syrian negotiations, in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Thursday, local media reported.

LATAKIA (Sputnik) — The meeting that has been postponed in anticipation of the UN response to the demands put forward by the opposition, is set to be resumed at 10 a.m. local time (07:00 GMT) on Thursday, the Saudi Al Arabiya TV channel said, citing a source in the High Negotiations Committee, a body representing the Syrian opposition at the negotiations.

Syrian opposition had repeatedly requested the government to lift the blockade of the opposition-controlled areas and to release the detainees before the parties begin negotiations.

In December, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on settling the Syrian conflict, which reaffirmed the goals of the Vienna agreements to bring the entire spectrum of political groups in the crisis-torn country to the negotiating table and stated that the next round of the talks would take place in January, 2016.

The intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva are scheduled to begin on January 29.