Saudi Arabia is set to host a series of talks Tuesday with the Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar Assad’s forces.
The goal of the meeting is to form a united anti-government coalition in order to negotiate with the Assad regime.
“Saudi is a pivotal state in the region and for it to take this step — to host a conference of the Syrian opposition factions — certainly something real will result from it,” the leader of one of the rebel groups who preferred to remain anonymous told Reuters. At least 65 representatives are expected to attend the meeting in Saudi Arabia.
Syrian rebel groups have been fighting Assad’s forces since 2011 when anti-government protests evolved into an all-out civil war. As the conflict has raged in the past four years, leaving more than 220,000 dead and displacing several million, the anti-government factions have become increasingly sectarian and fractious.