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US Outlines Vision for New Syrian Opposition

October 31, 2012

by VOA News

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Washington hopes new Syrian opposition talks next week will produce a new rebel leadership that represents those fighting and dying in the country.

Clinton said the United States is recommending names and organizations that should feature prominently in anew opposition structure emerging from talks in Doha. She said the Syrian National Council, composed mainly of exiles, can no longer be viewed as the leader of the opposition, but it can still play a role.

Speaking Wednesday in the Croatian capital, Clinton said a newly united Syrian opposition "must be on record" resisting attempts by Islamist extremists to hijack the revolution against Bashar al-Assad's government.

In Paris, talks between French and Russian officials failed to resolve deep disagreements over Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of fueling the violence by insisting Mr. Assad abandon power.

Earlier in Beijing, U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi urged China to be a part of a solution to Syria's crisis, telling Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi that China should "play an active role" in resolving the 19-month conflict.

Brahimi met earlier this week with Russian officials. China and Russia have vetoed three U.N. Security Council resolutions that could have led to sanctions against the Syrian government.

Brahimi had called for a cease-fire during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, but both Syrian rebels and government ignored the truce.

Violence continued Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported government air strikes on opposition strongholds around Damascus and in the north.

No casualties were reported in the air raids, but Syrian state media said a bomb blast killed at least six people near a Shi'ite shrine in a suburb of the capital.

More than 185 people were reported killed across Syria in airstrikes and artillery shelling on Tuesday.