Syria Opposition to Decide November 9 on Geneva Talks

Syria's opposition National Coalition is to meet November 9 to decide on the divisive issue of whether to take part in peace talks in Geneva, a Coalition member said Thursday.

"We have decided to put off the (Coalition's) General Assembly and political committee meetings until November 9 in Istanbul," Samir Nashar told Agence France Presse.

The Istanbul meetings were originally scheduled for October 22 but postponed because of a "Friends of Syria" meeting in London.

"There is an international effort, notably American, to persuade the Coalition to take part" in a Geneva peace conference, Nashar said.

"Putting off a decision until November 9 aims to allow more time for discussions and to assist efforts to change the mind of those opposed" to taking part, he said AFP.

On October 13, the Syrian National Council -- a key component of the Coalition -- insisted it would not attend the Geneva talks mooted for late November.

U.S. officials in Istanbul, notably ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, are working hard behind the scenes to try to persuade the opposition to join the talks, the State Department said Wednesday.

But Coalition leaders have insisted they will not attend unless regime change and Syrian President Bashar Assad's departure are on the table, demands roundly rejected by Damascus.