DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian opposition figures who reject foreign intervention in the country's civil war have held a rare meeting in the capital, Damascus, today.
The gathering was tolerated by the regime in an apparent attempt to lend credibility to its claims that it remains open to political reform despite its bloody crackdown on dissent.
The group called for the ouster of President Bashar Assad.
Diplomats from Iran, Russia and China — Assad's main allies — attended the opposition conference. But Syrian rebels and their many backers in the international community are likely to view the meeting as a cosmetic gesture by the Syrian regime.
In recent weeks, Assad's military has escalated airstrikes and shelling of civilian areas to put down an uprising that began 18 months ago with peaceful protests. It has since devolved into a civil war. Activists say close to 30,000 people have been killed.
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APPHOTO XHM110: A Free Syrian Army soldier, stands on a damaged Syrian military tank, which was destroyed during fighting government froces, in the Syrian town of Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. Syria's bloody 18-month conflict, which activists say has killed nearly 30,000 people, has so far eluded all attempts at international mediation. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (23 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO XHM110 (09/23/12)>>
APPHOTO XHM111: A Free Syrian Army soldier, holds an automatic machine gun as his comrade, unseen, drives by a Syrian military tank and mosque, which were destroyed during fighting with government forces, in the Syrian town of Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. Syria's bloody 18-month conflict, which activists say has killed nearly 30,000 people, has so far eluded all attempts at international mediation. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (23 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO XHM111 (09/23/12)>>
APPHOTO XHM104: A Syrian boy stands on a damaged Syrian military tank, which was destroyed during fighting between government forces and Free Syrian Army soldiers, in the Syrian town of Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. Syria's bloody 18-month conflict, which activists say has killed nearly 30,000 people, has so far eluded all attempts at international mediation. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (23 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO XHM104 (09/23/12)>>
APPHOTO CAI104: In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian opposition figures headed by the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria called for the overthrow of President Bashar Assad at a rare meeting of anti-regime groups in the government-controlled capital Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. The attendance of diplomats from Russia, Iran and China, all countries that support Assad, suggested the regime authorized the conference to bolster its own rhetoric that there should be a peaceful settlement to the Syrian crisis through dialog. (AP Photo/SANA) (23 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO CAI104 (09/23/12)>>
APPHOTO CAI103: In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian opposition figures headed by the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria called for the overthrow of President Bashar Assad at a rare meeting of anti-regime groups in the government-controlled capital Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. The attendance of diplomats from Russia, Iran and China, all countries that support Assad, suggested the regime authorized the conference to bolster its own rhetoric that there should be a peaceful settlement to the Syrian crisis through dialog. (AP Photo/SANA) (23 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO CAI103 (09/23/12)>>
