The leading political arms of the Syrian opposition have met and agreed to work together, in an important development with hopeful consequences in that the fractured opposition might get closer to offering a clear alternative to the government of President Bashar Al Assad.
Burhan Ghalioun and other leaders of the Syrian National Council (SNC) met Riyad Al Asaad who heads the Free Syrian Army (FSA) formed by soldiers who have defected from the Syrian army. "The council recognised the Free Syrian Army as a reality, while the army recognised the council as the political representative" of the opposition, according to an SNC spokesman. A major challenge at the meeting was the SNC insistence on non-violent tactics even as the government crackdown against protesters has increased, and it was important that the FSA agreed to cut back attacks on government forces. This meeting happened in Turkey, which has been playing an increasingly important role in shaping the international response to Al Assad's increasingly vicious repression of the protests.
As the Arab League sanctions start to hit Syria, there is increasing speculation about the next stage, and hints of possible military intervention have started to surface. There is a possibility of a ‘buffer zone' inside Syria protected by Turkish troops, but Turkey dismisses this in the immediate circumstances. But there are also vague plans for ‘protected corridors' from the Turkish border to troubled areas of Syria, like Idlib and Homs, although no one is sure what such corridors might do, or how they would work.
Such military plans are better kept out of the opposition's strategy. Better coordination among the opposition groups and more traction for the regional and international assumption that Al Assad will not be part the eventual solution in Syria, mean that a political solution to Syria's problems is closer.
