Syria's splintered opposition gathers in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a difficult bid to unify ahead of potential peace talks with President Bashar al-Assad.
The Saudi-organised talks mark the first time representatives of Syria's various political and armed opposition factions gather together since the outbreak of the country's conflict in mid-2011, AFP reports.
The goal is to form a unified bloc for talks with Assad that world powers hope can be held before January 1.
But divisions have already emerged over the reported participation of some groups, including Ahrar al-Sham, allied with Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front.