Members of the Syrian opposition, authorized by the government of Bashar al-Assad, have called for the peaceful departure of the President, after eighteen months of deadly conflict. Radjaa Nasser, one of the organizers of the Conference for the Salvation of Syria, called for "an immediate halt to the brutal and barbaric shootings and bombings and declare a truce among combatants."
Such a truce could "pave the way for a political process [...] ensure a radical political change, end the current regime and leading to a serious and genuine democracy," said Nasser Radjaa. She made the comments during a meeting approved by the authorities and presented by the Syrian rebels as a ploy by Damascus to give an illusion of political openness. "This opposition is simply the other side of the same coin" , said a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the main component of the armed rebellion .
Meanwhile, a rebel leader said Sunday that the Syrian regime was losing more and more ground in the armed conflict on the eve of a speech to the UN Security Council by the international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi. Although poorly equipped to face the firepower of the regime forces, the insurgents are trying to expand the area under their control, particularly in the northwest of the country.
"We control most of the country. In most regions, the (regime) soldiers are trapped in their barracks," said rebel Colonel Ahmed Abdel Wahab. "With or without outside help (...), the fall of the regime is a matter of months, not years," said the colonel, who commanded a brigade of 850 men.
