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               Kerry to Meet Qatari FM Ahead of Syria Group Talks

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is due to hold talks Monday with
   Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah ahead of a meeting with other
   core members of the Friends of Syria and the Syrian opposition.
   The two men are meeting in Paris before traveling to London for
   Tuesday`s meeting, which will include diplomats from 11 nations that
   have backed rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
   The talks come as efforts continue to convene a long-sought Syrian
   peace conference that would bring together Syria`s government and the
   opposition with a goal of negotiating a political settlement to the
   country`s crisis.
   Officials have given conflicting signals in the past week about whether
   a date for the talks has been set.
   Arab League chief Nabil el-Araby said Sunday the peace conference would
   be held on November 23. But at the same news conference, U.N.-Arab
   League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said there would be no talks without
   credible opposition representation. He refused to publicly set a date
   before completing visits to Qatar, Turkey, Iran and Syria.
   Opposition leaders have threatened to boycott the proposed peace
   conference unless Syria`s President Assad agrees to step down. Mr.
   Assad insists he will remain in office until his term ends in 2014, and
   possibly seek re-election as well.
   The nations participating in Tuesday`s meeting include Britain, Egypt,
   France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United
   States and the United Arab Emirates.
   The fighting in Syria has killed more than 100,000 people and forced
   millions from their homes since March 2011.
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   a-group-talks/1773579.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-to-meet-qatari-fm-ahead-of-syria-group-talks/1773579.html