Syrian opposition groups unite to chart roadmap to democracy

Guardian:  Two of Syria's main opposition groups have signed an agreement on setting up a democracy if continued mass protests succeed in toppling President Bashar al-Assad.

The agreement is the most serious move yet by the fractured Syrian opposition to unite against the regime and shows that Assad's opponents will accept nothing less than his departure from power.

The main opposition group in exile, the Syrian National Council (SNC), signed the deal with the National Coordination Committee, whose supporters are mainly based inside Syria.

Burhan Ghalioun, leader of the SNC, and Haytham Manna of the NCB, signed the agreement in Cairo on Friday night, according to officials from both parties. The draft agreement states both groups reject any foreign military intervention in Syria, a move previously advocated by the SNC and opposed by the NCB, and calls for the protection of civilians by all legitimate means under international laws.

It also states that as soon as Assad's regime falls a "transitional period" would begin by preserving all state institutions and then drafting a new constitution that guarantees a "civilian pluralist parliamentary democratic system". A new parliament and president would then be elected.

The draft also states that all Syrian citizens are equal and the country's Kurdish minority is a "fundamental and historic" part of Syria's national structure. It also calls for "liberating Syrian territory", an apparent reference to the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967.

The head of the NCB, Hassan Abdul-Azim, said the aim was to have a "united opposition inside and outside the country", making it a more active force. "The opposition … agree that this regime should go and a new democratic system be set up," said Abdul-Azim, one of the most prominent dissidents inside Syria.

The SNC's Ghalioun signed the agreement but the membership of the group has yet to formally adopt it, although officials expect the party will endorse it without any changes. The groups said they would hand an official copy to Arab League secretary general Nabil Elaraby in Cairo on Sunday.

The alliance between the opposition groups follows the largest demonstrations in Syria since the summer in Damascus and most key towns and cities on Friday. An estimated 500,000 people are thought to have taken to the streets across the country, with the largest and most defiant protests taking place in areas where Arab League monitors were present.

The touring members of the Arab League states could not stop the bloodshed, however, with opposition groups claiming up to 31 people were killed nationwide. Almost all deaths were reportedly in areas that the 60-man delegation is yet to visit.

Syria's uprising began in March, inspired by other Arab spring revolts. The UN says more than 5,000 people have died in the government's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.