RIYADH: The two-day Syrian opposition meeting kicked off on Tuesday here with participants saying they were committed to a political solution to the crisis.

Hisham Marwa, vice-president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, said the Riyadh meeting would help the opposition create a unified vision to ensure a peaceful transition for the country.

He said the opposition had agreed that there would be a political solution to the crisis, with the formation of a transitional governing body to counterterrorist groups, reconstruct the country, and provide a solution for refugees to return.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir discussed the situation in Syria with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, according to an online report.

During the phone talk, Lavrov expressed his country’s willingness to participate in the talks to be held in New York on Dec. 18 and 19 to discuss the Syrian crisis, after getting an invitation from his American counterpart.

However, Lavrov has made it a precondition for his participation that all sides should agree on the classification of terrorist organizations and moderate groups, which might play a role in the transition process, the report stated.

Iran has said the meeting is aimed at harming the Vienna peace talks and would cause their failure.

The Vienna process envisages formal talks between the Syrian government and the opposition by Jan. 1, according to a report in an online Arab publication on Tuesday.