Syrian opposition leader due in Russia

The leader of the so-called Syrian National Coalition (SNC) said he plans to visit Moscow at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "I have received an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit Moscow delivered by his deputy around 20 days ago," Ahmad Jarba told Kuwait's News Agency (KUNA) on Monday. Jarba, who was on his first official visit to Kuwait, however gave no details about the timing of his visit. He added that during the visit he will try to convince Russian officials to stop backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Jarba gave no indication whether the visit would take place before the upcoming Geneva II peace conference on the Syrian crisis. Jarba said that the SNC would attend the conference under a string of conditions, including that President Assad won’t have any role in Syria’s political future. George Sabra, the president of the SNC, said on Sunday that a "final decision" would be taken in mid-December by the coalition whether it will attend the Geneva II talks. He expressed skepticism that the long-delayed conference would take place as scheduled. Russia and the US have been pushing to bring the Syrian government and the opposition to the negotiating table. The Geneva II conference is seen as a chance to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis. The UN has set January 22, 2014, as the date for the talks. The Syrian government has agreed to take part in the talks, but has rejected preconditions or any insistence on President al-Assad’s departure. Syria has been gripped by a deadly crisis since 2011. According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.