The Syrian government on Saturday said the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad remains a "red line" just two days ahead of renewed talks aimed at ending the conflict. Leading members of the opposition delegation to the talks arrived in Geneva on Saturday, AFP correspondents in the Swiss city said. The UN-brokered negotiations are the latest push by the international community to find a solution to Syria's five-year war, which has killed more than 270,000 people.
Both the government and the main opposition group, the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee, have agreed to attend the talks after the last round collapsed in February. Chief opposition negotiator Mohammad Alloush and HNC delegation head Asaad al-Zoabi were in Geneva on Saturday. "The regime was counting on the opposition not to come to Geneva... but it is here, and it will have a united stance, vision, and negotiating strategy," said HNC delegation member Hassan Abdel Azim.