If the Syrian National Coalition decides Friday it will not show up in Switzerland on Jan. 22, it could conceivably lose support from the U.S. and Britain, its two main proponents.
The opposition remains adamant that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must agree to give up power before starting any serious talks with Damascus, which has no intention of changing regimes in the midst of war that has cost an estimated 120,000 lives and uprooted millions from their homes.
Nonetheless, the Syrian government has already approved the make-up of its delegation headed to Geneva next week.
Washington and London have to be careful not to exert too much pressure on the Syrian National Coalition as it is their only viable choice amid Assad’s forces and al Qaeda-linked militants.
Meanwhile, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris to continue hammering out logistics for the talks, which include a possible role for Syrian ally Iran.