Syria peace conference set for November 23

A keenly anticipated peace conference for Syria will convene in Geneva on November 23, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said on Sunday after meeting international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. Arabi acknowledged that there were still obstacles to holding the conference, as Western and Arab governments prepare to meet Syrian opposition leaders on Tuesday to attempt to persuade them to attend. Arabi made the comment to reporters after meeting the UN-Arab League envoy for Syria at the bloc's Cairo headquarters, on the first leg of a regional tour Brahimi is conducting ahead of the conference. "It was decided that the Geneva II conference will be held on November 23, and preparations are underway for this conference," Arabi said. The top Arab diplomat warned, however, that there were still hurdles to convening the already much-delayed meeting. "There are many difficulties that must be overcome for this conference to succeed," he said. Brahimi refused to publicly set a date for the conference, saying it would be announced after he concluded his tour. The envoy told reporters after meeting Arabi that he would travel to Qatar, Turkey, Iran, Syria and then Geneva for talks with Russian and US representatives.