TURKEY: Syrian opposition meet in Istanbul to find common ground ahead of upcoming meetings with the Arab League

Record ID: 276380

  • Title: TURKEY: Syrian opposition meet in Istanbul to find common ground ahead of upcoming meetings with the Arab League
  • Date: 16th June 2012
  • Summary: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (JUNE 15, 2012) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF VENUE VARIOUS OF ENTRANCE OF THE HOTEL MEMBER OF SYRIAN OPPOSITION AMMAR QURABI ENTERING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBER OF SYRIAN OPPOSITION, AMMAR QURABI, SAYING: "I am not optimistic as I know before the meeting (starts) that it depends on the balance between all the groups but until now, most of the people here be
  • Embargoed: 1st July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAJPAEXOK3G5DZ8J3ZIE1XJUYT
  • Story Text: Syrian opposition groups gathered in Turkey on Friday (June 15) in a bid to resolve their differences as two international meetings loom for the group in the near future.
    The first could be a meeting in Cairo under the auspices of the Arab League but no date is yet set.
    A similar meeting collapsed last month when the various factions of the Syrian National Council were unable to resolve their differences.
    World powers are also working towards holding a crisis meeting on Syria in Geneva on June 30 to try to get a tattered peace plan back on track.
    The SNC elected a new leader last week, Abdelbasset Sida, the only candidate for the presidency who has been living in exile in Sweden for many years.
    Even with the new leadership, some are not confident.
    "I am not optimistic as I know before the meeting (starts) that it depends on the balance between all the groups but until now, most of the people here belong to the SNC and that is not strange to me because the SNC is supported (by) Turkey who do the invitations. So (in that respect), I am not optimistic about the results because I am used to same (similiar) meetings," Ammar Quradi, a member of the SNC, said.
    "Now we discuss two things. First of all they are searching for the one paper who (will) represent all the opposition. The second aim (of) this meeting is to search for one shape who (will) contain all the forces of the opposition. For the first one, I think it is not complete if we (don't) search (for) one shape because we have (had) bad experiences like this (at similiar) meetings."
    Violence has surged in recent weeks in Syria after government forces and allied militia launched offensives to regain territories controlled by the opposition and rebels abandoned a ceasefire negotiated by international envoy Kofi Annan in his efforts to ease the conflict between President Bashar al-Assad and the movement fighting to end his family's four decade rule.
    World powers are divided over the next move.
    Russia and China, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council with veto power, have blocked efforts by Western powers to condemn Assad or call for his removal.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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