Nineteen Syrian Islamist opposition groups announced Sunday that they will not attend the proposed Geneva II peace talks, according to AFP sources.
In an online video statement released late Saturday, Ahmad Eissa al-Sheikh, chief of the Suqur al-Sham, said "We announce that the Geneva II conference is not, nor will it ever be our people's choice or our revolution's demand. We consider it just another part of the conspiracy to throw our revolution off track and to abort it."
The statement also warned other groups that attending the Geneva talks would be an act of treason.
The Syrian opposition National Coalition (SNC) and the remaining opposition groups will meet in Istanbul in early November to decide if they will attend the peace talks. Many opposition leaders have already stated that Assad's removal from power must be guaranteed prior to their attendance as well.
The proposed Geneva talks, hoped to commence in late November, seek to find a political solution to end the Syrian conflict after 31 months of fighting between rebel and regime forces.
