Expectations low for Syrian peace conference

LARA JAKES
FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2013, file photo, Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. In its last-ditch attempt to get moderate Syrian opposition groups to the negotiating table, the Obama administration faces the prospect that a no-show wouldn’t be such a bad thing. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — In its last-ditch attempt to get moderate Syrian opposition groups to the negotiating table, the Obama administration faces the prospect that a no-show wouldn't be such a bad thing.

The main Western-backed moderate political group seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad has still not decided if it will attend a long-planned peace conference that is weeks away.

It's the latest frustration to the U.S. and allies who have spent the past 18 months trying to negotiate a transition of power from Assad to a new, representative government.

But even if the Syrian National Coalition agrees to attend the peace meeting, analysts say it does not have enough credibility with other Syrian groups to sit as an official counterbalance to Assad's regime.