Syria opposition gets U.N. meeting, rebel chief won't attend [View all]
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will hold an informal meeting with members of the opposition Syrian National Coalition this week, Britain's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday, but the chief rebel commander will not attend due to the situation inside Syria.
The meeting will take place on Friday and include political and military representatives of the Syrian opposition, British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said in a statement. Saudi-backed tribal leader Ahmed al-Jarba, the new president of the coalition, will lead the delegation, he said.
Lyall Grant said the informal nature of the meeting would "provide a forum for members of the council to have a frank and informal exchange with the National Coalition, to discuss key issues relating to the Syrian conflict."
A spokesman for Moscow's U.N. mission confirmed that Russia would join the other 14 Security Council members at the Syria meeting on Friday. Russia is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main ally and arms supplier and has vetoed three Western- and Arab-backed council resolutions condemning Assad's government.
Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/uk-syria-crisis-un-idUKBRE96M0UP20130723
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