The Saudi Council of Ministers led by the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz yesterday stressed that Saudi Arabia is keen on a “political solution” to the Syrian crisis. The comments come on the eve of the Riyadh conference for the Syrian opposition which aims to determine the identity of the members of the delegation in charge of negotiations with Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Saudi Arabia welcomed all groups and movements of the moderate Syrian opposition that consists of different faiths, ethnicities and political inclinations within Syria and outside of it, and urged them to participate in the meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) announced yesterday that it “agrees with the coalition on the fundamental points of the document that will be presented at the conference”, adding that the “most important points that will be the subject of discussion are the overthrowing of the regime and Assad’s departure from power”.