Syrian Opposition Meeting for First Time

With the government's blessing, dozens of thinkers, activists, rights workers, and politicians gather in Damascus.

Opposition leaders in Syria are meeting en masse for the first time today, with President Bashar al-Assad's regime granting them permission to hold the meeting in the capital, Damascus, without fear of retaliation. Last week, Assad said in a speech that he'd open a “national dialogue” with 100 activists and opposition leaders, despite an ongoing crackdown that's killed more than 1,400 protesters in the past three months. The opposition leaders are meeting with the aim of arriving at some sort of unified position on what they envision a modern Syria to look like, a vision that they would present to Assad – although representatives of the largest group of youth protesters, the Local Co-ordination Committees, have refused to negotiate until the government stops killing civilians.