Sunday, November 4, 2012

Syrian opposition groups have gathered in the Qatari capital, Doha, for a key meeting

Syria opposition groups hold crucial Qatar meeting - BBC News: BBC NewsSyria opposition groups hold crucial Qata... http://bit.ly/YCzSti

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Syria opposition groups hold crucial Qatar meeting

Free Syrian Army fighters in the Taftanaz area in northern Syria, 3 Nov

Rebels inside Syria have often been critical of the SNC

Syria conflict

Syrian opposition groups have gathered in the Qatari capital, Doha, for a key meeting on how to form a more united front against President Assad.

The meeting could reshape the Syrian National Council, the main opposition, into a possible government in exile.

Rebel forces in Syria have criticised the SNC as out of touch, and the opposition is also split ideologically.

The talks come amid continuing violence in Syria, with reports of an explosion on Sunday near a hotel in Damascus.

There are also reports that rebels have seized a major oilfield in Deir Ezzor in the east of the country, but these have not been confirmed.

Young elements

The SNC is looking to broaden its ranks and agree on a common platform at the conference, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from Doha.

Analysis

Jim MuirBBC News, Doha

The Syrian opposition is well aware that it is widely regarded as fragmented and ineffective, and that this is becoming more and more an issue as events on the ground gather pace.

The coming days will see the most concerted effort so far to pull the bulk of the opposition together and to create effective and credible structures that the outside world can work with in trying to bring about a transition in Syria.

The outcome of the meeting is by no means certain. Divisions run deep, both among the opposition, and among the outside powers, who are watching this process closely.

The SNC will be holding four days of intensive internal meetings aimed at overhauling its structures completely, our correspondent says, bringing in new, young elements closer to events on the ground, and producing a new leadership.

After that it is scheduled to hold talks on Thursday with the Syrian National Initiative, a group of influential and respected opposition figures who are proposing the creation of a unified leadership body that would later produce a government in exile, possibly as early as next month.

‏@bgoum

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