Syria agrees ‘in principle’ to attend peace talks

The Syrian government has agreed in principle to take part in an international conference in Geneva next month aimed at ending the country’s civil war, its foreign minister said yesterday.

The comments by Walid al-Moallem marked the first direct confirmation that the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is ready to send representatives to the UN-sponsored conference. Late last week, Syria ally Russia said the regime is willing to participate.

The statement puts more pressure on Syria’s main opposition bloc, the Syrian National Coalition, to signal acceptance. The group was meeting in Istanbul for the fourth day yesterday to come up with a unified position on the proposed peace talks, elect new leaders and expand membership.