Syria opposition to meet August 3-4 in Istanbul

Syria's opposition National Coalition will meet in Istanbul on August 3 and 4 for talks on forming a provisional government, opposition sources said Thursday. In Paris this week for meetings with French officials, Coalition vice president Suheir Atassi said opposition talks would be held on August 3 and 4 in order to "strengthen" the group's position. Other sources said the talks would take place in Istanbul and would focus on forming a provisional government. The Coalition's new chief, Ahmad Jarba, said this week in Paris that he hoped to be able to announce the formation of a provisional government "within a month". Syria's opposition has struggled to put forward a united front during the country's more than two years of conflict, which have killed some 100,000 people. The last attempt at forming a provisional government, under then rebel prime minister Ghassan Hitto, collapsed earlier this month when Hitto resigned after nearly four months of failed efforts.