The U.N.'s special envoy to Syria arrives at the Arab League in Cairo as the international community struggles to come together to end a civil war.

Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said Tuesday that both the Syrian government and the opposition were preparing to take part in the internationally-sponsored conference over Syria's civil war.

But during a meeting in Istanbul Thursday, the Syrian National Coalition was still deciding whether to participate.

The coalition is also choosing a new president after Moaz Alkhatib resigned in March.

Alkhatib, who had offered President Bashar al-Assad a negotiated exit, has been meeting with coalition leadership.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) SYRIAN NATIONAL COALITION SPOKESPERSON KHALED SALEH SAYING:

"… what matters to us most is to elect somebody who will be able to face the massacres Assad has committed on a daily basis."

Russia and the U.S. are pushing to hold the peace conference by the end of the month amid increasing re