AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria's opposition coalition will meet in Istanbul on May 23 to decide whether to participate in a U.S. and Russian-sponsored conference to try to end the Syrian civil war, coalition officials said on Sunday.
The coalition's general assembly will also elect a new head of the Western and Gulf-backed coalition, and discuss the fate of provisional prime minister Ghassan Hitto, who has come under heavy criticism, the sources told Reuters.
"Everything will be decided in the general assembly meeting," said one of the coalition officials.
Among the strongest contenders to replace Hitto is Ahmad Tomaa Kheder, a 48-year-old independent Islamist opposition leader from the eastern province of Deir al-Zor.
He was arrested early in the Syrian revolt and worked closely with liberals during years of peaceful opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, the sources said.
The coalition has been in crisis since the resignation of its president Moaz al-Khatib in March and has come under pressure to expand its membership.
It is currently dominated by the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and its allies and another faction led by the coalition's Secretary General Mustafa Sabbagh, who has close links with Qatar, opposition sources said.
Russia said on Saturday there was disagreement over who should represent the opposition in a Syrian peace process, days after Moscow and Washington announced a joint effort to bring the two sides to an international conference.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-opposition-meet-decide-whether-join-peace-talks-154046047.html
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