Syrian Opposition Discusses Ways to End Unrest

Istanbul/Cairo – Key members of the Syrian opposition met in Istanbul Saturday to discuss ways to end the four-month unrest a day after 41 people were killed in mass protests.

Participants at the National Syrian Salvation Conference called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down, and discussed how to bring about a peaceful transition of power and develop a more unified position for the opposition.

‘Everybody must know that citizens in Syria have rights as much as officials do. No one can prevent us our rights,’ human rights lawyer Haitham al-Maleh told the gathering.

He denounced al-Assad’s ‘fascist’ regime and said the opposition wants ‘back the state that was kidnapped by the regime.’

Al-Maleh said more than 2,000 people have been killed, more than 15,000 detained and 15,000 have fled the country since the government crackdown on the protests began in March.

Simultaneous meetings were scheduled for Syria and Turkey, but the Damascus meeting was not held after 14 people died Friday in the Damascus neighborhood of Qaboun near the place where the meeting was planned.

Activists in the Syrian capital joined the Istanbul gathering through phone and internet.

‘The regime can never take away our freedom,’ said al-Maleh, who was a political prisoner until he was released in March, taking advantage of an amnesty granted by al-Assad.

At least 41 were killed in Friday’s mass anti-government protests that were broken up by security forces using live ammunition, the National Organization for Human Rights said Saturday.

The group said 27 people were killed in Damascus and its suburbs, with more killed in the central city of Homs, Idlib in the north, and Daraa in the south.

The official SANA news agency reported that 12 civilians and security personnel were killed by armed groups ‘who opened fire on gatherings of civilians following the Friday prayers.’

More than 1 million Syrians participated in Friday’s protests, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.

The figures could not be independently verified since most foreign media and international human rights groups are barred from entering Syria.

The government disputes the figures and blames ‘armed thugs’ and foreign conspirators for the unrest.