Lebanon joins, Syrian opposition undecided for Geneva II conference

Lebanon confirmed Sunday it would join the Geneva II preparatory meeting, while the Syrian opposition coalition said it was still to decide, leaving a date for the talks up in the air. Lebanon's Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour on Sunday confirmed Lebanon would accept an invitation to the conference of domestic and international parties aimed at resolving the Syrian conflict. Mansour and Lebanon's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Najla Riachi Assaker, would attend, the official National News Agency said. Mansour's announcement came two days after UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman met in Beirut to discuss the proposed conference. Brahimi said after the meeting Lebanese officials were "in favor of being invited, " adding "Lebanon has borne significant burdens that fall on its shoulders as a result of the tragic situation in Syria." While Lebanon said yes to the conference, the deeply fractured opposition of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) is split on the issue. The coalition disagrees over conditions for attending, including demands Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should step down right away and not take part in a negotiated solution for the country's future. The Arab League has urged the opposition to particitate in the meeting and form their delegation as soon as possible. Arab League foreign ministers said at a meeting Sunday the League supported the Syrian opposition's stance of asking for necessary international guarantees for participating in the Geneva II conference. Talks in Geneva could not "go forward without the opposition," and "the participation of the opposition is essential, necessary and important," Brahimi said. SNC President Ahmed Al-Jarba said the opposition would not enter the Geneva talks unless there was a successful transfer of power in Syria within a specific timeframe. Al-Jarba also urged the Arab League to take a clear decision on supplying the Syrians with weapons, and guaranteed those weapons would not fall into the wrong hands. He called on Arab states to support the coalition to take part in the upcoming negotiations in Geneva. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday in Cairo that the United States and its allies might differ over "tactics" on the Syrian conflict but they shared the goal of a handover of power. "We all share the same goal ... that is the salvation of the state of Syria and a transition government put in place ... that can give the people of Syria the opportunity to choose their future," Kerry said during a joint press conference. Turkish president Abdullah Gul has expressed concern over the Syria situation, telling media the country could become a "Mediterranean Afghanistan," if the international community did not act to end its civil war. The long-awaited Geneva II conference on Syria is aimed at bringing the government and the opposition to the negotiation table by the end of November to hammer out a political solution to country's prolonged conflict.