The US and Britain are warning Syria’s main opposition groups that western support could dry up if the rebels fail to send a delegation to the Geneva II peace conference in Switzerland next week, and take part in talks with their enemy President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

“They are making it very clear that they will not continue to support us the way they are doing now and that we will lose credibility with the international community if we do not go,” said a Syrian National Coalition leader who did not wish to be named.  He added that France, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are not threatening to pull support if the Coalition fails to show in Geneva, but are strongly urging attendance.  The Coalition will take a vote on Friday on whether or not to attend.

Foreign ministers including US Secretary of State John Kerry met in Paris to discuss localized ceasefires and prisoner exchanges, to ease along the peace process.  Any lull in the fighting can’t come soon enough for the millions of Syrian refugees, both internal and external.

Also, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that one of the key issues of the Geneva II Conference is to draw up a strategy to fight against terrorist groups that have invaded Syria, among them:  Islamic Front; al Nusra Front; and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, abbreviated alternatively as ISIS or ISIL.