title: Draft opposition statement calls for Assad to leave at start of transition: Arabiya
text: RIYADH (Reuters) - The draft of a final statement by a Syrian opposition meeting in Riyadh calls for the departure of President Bashar al-Assad at the beginning of any transition, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said on Wednesday. An array of opposition groups and figures began meeting earlier in the day in a bid to unify the group s position ahead of U.N.-backed peace talks to end the country s six-year civil war. Some opposition members have hinted that the new communique could drop any mention of Assad, softening a long-standing demand that he not have a role in any transition. 