In an interview with Reuters and the Associated Press, SNC ringleader Ahmad Jarba said on Wednesday: "We are now ready to go to Geneva."

The coalition said previously it was ready to attend if humanitarian aid corridors were set up and political prisoners released. It insists that the Syrian government can play no future role in Syria.

Jarba said on a visit to Cairo, adding that the opposition viewed the Geneva talks as a step to a leadership transition and a "genuine democratic transformation in Syria".

"There is no way that the individual responsible for the destruction of the country can be responsible for building the country," Jarba claimed.

The Syrian government has consolidated its power around Damascus and central Syria after months of steady military gains. Syria’s soldiers recaptured towns this month on the edge of the capital and the southern approaches to Aleppo.

More secure than a year ago from the mainly foreign-backed militants, whose ranks are also swelled from abroad by an influx of Takfiris, Syrian government faces little internal pressure to make concessions to his enemies.

Syria said on Wednesday that Western countries that also demand that the Syrian government step down should either stop "dreaming" or forget attending the peace talks.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies are supporting the militants and Takfiri terrorists operating inside the Arab country.

NTJ/NJF