Syrian opposition to attend Geneva II peace talks

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) has voted to attend Geneva II peace talks, scheduled for next week at Montreux in Switzerland, that aim to set up a transitional government to put an end to the three year old conflict in Syria,.

The meeting, which was delayed after more than 40 delegates walked out, was finally held after a lot of persuasion to bring them back.

Out of the 73 members of the Syrian opposition group, who participated in the voting session in Istanbul, a good majority of 58 members voted in favour of attending the peace talks, while 14 resisted and one abstained, the BBC reported.

Welcoming Syrian opposition's decision, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that this was a courageous vote in the interests of all the Syrian people who suffered horribly under the brutality of the Assad regime and a civil war without end.

The coalition was under pressure after U.S and Britain hinted at a possible withdrawal of political support if the opposition failed to attend the peace talks.

Agreeing to resolve issues at hand, the coalition's leader, Ahmad Jarba said that the opposition was going to the talks without any bargain regarding the principles of the revolution and will not be cheated by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.