Syria's opposition wraps up conference

DAMASCUS - Syria's oppositional National Coordination Body (NCB) along with 20 other Syrian opposition parties wrapped up the conference for "rescuing Syria" on Sunday evening with a number of demands, mainly halting violence from all parties as a prelude for a political transitional period.

The final communique of the conference said "the strategy of the security and military solution, which is espoused by the government against the people's revolution that demands freedom, dignity and democracy, has aggravated the violence and created a climate for special agendas."

The statement's signatories also called for halting the violence by the government forces and the armed opposition alike under an international and Arab supervision.

It also called for an immediate release of all political detainees and urged the UN-Arab League joint special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to push for holding an international conference on Syria that would discuss ways to start a transitional period in the unrest-hit country.

Sunday's conference was marked with the absence of many opposition parties inside Syria, which said they have differences with the NCB regarding the nature of the armed rebels and their acts on ground.