Several factions of the Syrian opposition, meeting together for the first time, called Friday for a new coalition but did not reach agreement on who should attend peace talks later this month, or whether they would attend at all.

The main opposition body in exile, the National Coalition, has been plagued by bickering.

A final communique from the meeting proposes setting up a committee to coordinate opposition groups, with the eventual goal of holding a national conference attended by about 1,000 people, said Yahya al-Aridi, a spokesman for the meeting.

Such figures have been tolerated by the Syrian government but are at odds with many grassroots and exile opposition groups.

However, two major groups did not officially attend: the main internal opposition body known as the National Coordinating Body, and an Islamist alliance known as the Islamic Front.

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