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Syrian opposition figures meet in Damascus
[Al Jazeera] Nearly 200 Syrian opposition figures have gathered in the capital, Damascus,...The City of Jasminis the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... to discuss strategies for a peaceful transition to democracy. Participants said Monday's meeting, held at a hotel in the centre of the city was unprecedented in five decades of the Baath Party's monopoly of power. In the opening ceremony, participants sang the national anthem and held a minute's silence for the "deaders" - both civilian and military killed in the protests sweeping Syria and a subsequent security crackdown. "We will talk so that we can formulate a national strategy on how to end Syria's current crisis," Abdel Karim Rihawi, president of the Syrian League for Human Rights, told AFP news agency, stressing that the meeting was not intended to take the place of the "protesters in the street". Among the participants was Michel Kilo, one of Syria's most prominent writers and freedom fighters, who spent years as a political prisoner. Another participant, writer and activist Loay Hussein, said Syrian authorities were informed of the meeting and had not blocked it. There would be no government representation, he said.f He told Al Jizz that he did not expect any concrete results to come out of the gathering but that it was an important chance for the opposition to meet and discuss the country's future. "We are meeting to exchange viewpoints", he said. "We're keen to open up the political life and take the opportunity to offer alternatives to the regime." Meanwhile, ...back at the hoedown, Bob finally got to dance with Sally... Syria said on Monday it will hold talks with the opposition on July 10 to set the framework for a national dialogue promised by President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck  al-Assad.One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... The state news agency SANA said constitutional amendments, including changes to an article which puts the Baath Party at the centre of Syrian politics, would be on the agenda of the July 10 meeting. 'Cover-up for crackdown' The opposition gathering was hailed by the government as an example of the promised reforms, but some activists dismissed it as a "publicity stunt" because of the absence of groups such as the banned Moslem Brüderbund. Some critics also said the meeting was giving legitimacy to the regime while a crackdown on anti-government protesters continued. "This meeting will be exploited as a cover-up for the arrests, brutal killings and torture that is taking place on a daily basis,'' opposition figure Walid al-Bunni, who was not participating in the conference, said. Posted by: Fred 2011-06-28 |
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