Friends of Syria hold meeting in Morocco to decide on crucial steps

MARRAKESH

The Friends of Syria group, a supporter of the Syrian opposition, is scheduled to meet for the fourth time in the southern Moroccan city of Marrakesh today in order to prepare the necessary conditions for a political and democratic transition and discuss halting violence against civilians.

The meeting, which had been due to take place in October, follows previous meetings of the group in Tunis, Istanbul and Paris, bringing together senior officials from countries supporting the opposition against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Agence France-Presse reported.

The so-called Friends of Syria group is expected to focus on new moves to strengthen and legitimize the recently formed Syrian opposition coalition.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will be among those attending, while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton canceled her visit due to health reasons.