Splits Within Assad's Opposition Threatens Possibility of Increased International Support

Can't agree on role of liberal members of the opposition

(Reuters)—Diplomatic efforts intensified on Tuesday to solve a crisis in Syria's opposition which threatens to derail a planned peace conference and rob the Islamist-dominated alliance of international support.

After six days of talks in Istanbul, the 60-member Syrian National Coalition has failed to agree on the wider involvement of a liberal opposition bloc, to the dismay of Western and some Arab backers keen to reduce the influence of Islamists.