UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was to arrive in Cairo at the start of a regional tour aimed at paving the way for peace talks

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was to arrive in Cairo at the start of a regional tour aimed at paving the way for peace talks.
  
World powers hope to convene a peace conference in Geneva next month but prospects for it remain unclear, with Syria's opposition divided and due to vote next week on whether to take part.
  
In Geneva, spokeswoman Khawla Mattar said Brahimi would meet Egypt's foreign minister as well as the head of the Arab League. Brahimi is also expected in Syria and in Iran.

UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky said that Brahimi's deputy, Nasser Al-Kidwa, was also travelling in the region, noting that both of them were "engaging with regional governments to ensure that the Geneva II conference could take place as soon as possible and would be successful."   

Separately, US Secretary of State John Kerry will head to Europe next week for talks on Syria. He and other envoys from the "Friends of Syria" group will meet the Syrian opposition in Britain Tuesday to review progress towards convening the conference.