Saudi Arabia to host Syria opposition meeting as UN prepares new peace talks

Saudi Arabia is to host a meeting of the Syrian opposition later this month as the UN prepares to convene new peace talks with the government, AFP reported. The meeting will take place in Riyadh from November 22 to 24. It is being convened at the request of opposition factions and will aim to form a “joint negotiating delegation to resume direct negotiations in Geneva under the auspices of the UN,” according to a Saudi Press Agency report. The latest round of UN-brokered peace talks is due to open on November 28, and UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said late last month that the talks had reached a “moment of truth.”