Syrian 'national dialogue' conference boycotted by angry opposition

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Source: The Guardian

Opposition leaders boycotted a "national dialogue" conference on reform with Syria's ruling Ba'ath party on Sunday, vowing not to meet the regime while protesters were still being killed in the streets.

Opening the two-day conference, Syria's vice-president, Farouk al-Sharaa, portrayed it as a potential turning point in the country's political history.

"We hope that it will lead to ... the transformation of Syria into a pluralistic, democratic state where its citizens are equal," Sharaa told delegates at the Sahara hotel in Damascus.

But the 200 delegates consisted mainly of Ba'ath party members, intellectuals close to the regime and independent parliamentarians. Opposition figures, activists in the Local Co-ordinating Committees (LCC) who represent protesters and exiled dissidents, said they rejected email invitations due to the continuing killing and lack of trust in the regime's promises to reform.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/10/syrian-national-dialogue-boycotted-by-opposition