Naharnet

Syrian Opposition Meets in Stockholm

Around 90 members of Syria's opposition, led by the Syrian National Council, met Saturday in Stockholm to strategize their struggle against President Bashar Assad's regime.

"Around 90 people are taking part... members of the Syrian National Council (SNC), including its leader Burhan Ghalioun, are here as are representatives of other Syrian opposition groups," said Laila Naraghi of the Olof Palme International Center hosting the conference.

Representatives of Syria's six-month-old protests and opposition met against the backdrop of an uprising which the U.N. says has cost at least 2,900 lives since it erupted in mid-March.

The recently-formed SNC includes most of Assad's opponents, including the committees masterminding protests on the ground, the Muslim Brotherhood as well as various Kurdish and Assyrian parties.

The council has been touring world capitals in a bid to muster support from the Arab world and Western powers.

"Members of the opposition approached us for help to set up a meeting with the opposition's different factions," Olof Palme secretary general Jens Orback said in a statement.

"They were looking for methods on how to agree on certain issues in order to make progress in their struggle," he explained.

The conference's participants are expected to announce the results of their meetings at a press conference on Monday.

Source: Agence France Presse


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