Syria's opposition criticises exiled SNC's preconditions to talks

A leading figure of the Syrian local opposition group has slammed the exiled opposition's preconditions to dialogue with the Syrian government. The exiled Syrian National Coalition (SNC) has become accustomed to "maneuvers" and political "manipulation," Maher Morhej, the head of Syria's oppositional Youth Party told Xinhua on the sidelines of a meeting Thursday grouping a number of Syria- based opposition parties. The meeting aimed at tackling details surrounding the local opposition groups' participation in the forthcoming international conference on Syria, slated for mid June in Geneva. On Wednesday, the SNC said it would participate in the proposed Syria meeting only if there was a timeframe for adopting an international agreement that would lead to the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "They (SNC) wants to raise the ceiling to give the feeling that it represents all the Syrians," Morhej said, adding that the opposition might be represented with several delegates. The planned conference in Geneva will tackle the recent U.S.- Russian efforts to revive political options for resolving the long- standing stalemate in the conflict-stricken country. The conference aims at reviving a previous meeting held in June 2012 in Geneva and sponsored also by the two major powers, the U.S. and Russia. However, last year's conference called for immediate ceasefire between Syrian fighting parties and launching inter-Syrian dialogue for a transitional government, the outcome of the meeting was fruitless as it couldn't be implemented on the ground.