British officials planning talks with Syrian armed groups. 7 November 2012Last updated at 04:50 ET Mr Cameron said he had heard some "horrendous" stories at the border camp David Cameron says he is determined to give Syria a brighter future as he met refugees of the conflict at a camp on the Syrian-Jordanian border. Britain is to begin talks with armed Syrian rebels in a bid to unite the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, the UK prime minister said.
The discussions are due to take place in Jordan and Turkey. Visiting the refugee camp on Wednesday, Mr Cameron said the suffering of refugees was "horrendous". Up to 500 people a day have been arriving at the Za'atri camp, Mr Cameron was told, some having walked 15 days in order to try and find shelter. Mr Cameron, who flew into the camp by helicopter, said UK humanitarian support for the victims of the 18-month conflict in Syria would be increased by £14m to more than £50m - making it the second largest donor after the United States. Safe passage. Syria opposition groups set for crucial Doha meeting. 4 November 2012Last updated at 18:54 ET The SNC, headed by Abdulbaset Sayda, is seeking to widen its ranks Syrian opposition groups have held their first day of talks in the Qatari capital Doha. The meeting could reshape the Syrian National Council, the main opposition, into a possible government in exile, but differences are already apparent.
Rebel forces in Syria have criticised the SNC as out of touch, and the opposition is also split ideologically. The talks come amid continuing violence in Syria, with reports of an explosion on Sunday near a hotel in Damascus. Also on Sunday, opposition activists said that rebels had seized a major oilfield in the eastern Deir Ezzor province. Young elements The SNC is looking to broaden its ranks and agree on a common platform at the conference, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from Doha. Continue reading the main story Analysis Jim MuirBBC News, Doha The outcome of the meeting is by no means certain. "I shall not be a candidate to lead a government in exile... Clinton warns Syria rebels to resist extremism. 31 October 2012Last updated at 16:40 ET Syria's opposition has become increasingly fractured as the conflict has turned violent US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Syria's opposition to resist efforts by extremist groups to "hijack the revolution".
Speaking on a trip to Croatia, she said the rebel leadership needed to be more inclusive of those fighting in Syria. The Turkey-based Syrian National Council (SNC) has been powerless to stop the escalating violence. Mrs Clinton also revealed the Obama administration has suggested who should feature in the rebel leadership. "There has to be a representation of those who are in the front lines fighting and dying," she told reporters. "This cannot be an opposition represented by people who have many good attributes but who, in many instances, have not been inside Syria for 20, 30, 40 years. " The rebels should "strongly resist the efforts by the extremists to hijack the Syrian revolution", she warned. Hijab: Russia in denial over Syria. It doesn’t seem Russia plans to change its position on Syria, which supports in the strongest terms President Bashar Al Assad and his inner circle’s rule.
Russia, though in denial, is extremely involved in the Syrian conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has been on a Middle East tour in an attempt to diffuse any plans of action against Syria by trying to convince Arab leaders and the exiled Syrian opposition that the only way to end the bloodbath is through a dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition.
Though Arab leaders may agree in principle that a political solution is key, getting the Syrian opposition to stomach a dialogue with the Syrian regime is, quite frankly, next to impossible. In a rare and first high-level meeting between a Russian official and a Syrian defector, Lavrov met with former Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab, who defected to Jordan last August. During the meeting, Lavrov invited Hijab to Moscow for further discussions on the future of Syria. Syria Government Uses Cluster Bombs Against Civilians: U.N. By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Nov 6 (Reuters) - The U.N. political affairs chief told the Security Council on Tuesday of credible reports that the Syrian government is using cluster bombs and diplomats said peace mediator Lakhdar Brahimi had urged Russia to be more "pro-active" in ending the war. Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. undersecretary general for political affairs, made the remarks at a closed-door session of the 15-nation Security Council on Syria, envoys said.
Brahami had also told urged Russia at the weekend to do more to help end the war, they said. "In his meeting with (Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov, Brahimi encouraged Russia to take a more 'pro-active' role in resolving the Syria crisis," a diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Feltman confirmed to reporters after the meeting that he had informed the council about "credible reports of the use of cluster bombs by the government. " Russian U.N. Some 32,000 people have died in Syria's conflict. Research needed.
Syria crisis looms large for Hajj pilgrims - Middle East. In Syria, group suspected of al-Qaeda links gaining prominence in war to topple Assad. The group, suspected of affiliations to al-Qaeda, says it is also fighting in other locations, including the cities of Homs and Idlib and the suburbs of the capital, Damascus. Its growing role has prompted concerns that the 17-month-old uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is becoming radicalized as the bloodshed soars.
On a recent morning, three jihadist fighters chambered rounds into their AK-47 rifles as their bearded driver sped through Aleppo’s streets in a bullet-ridden white van. “If shooting starts, put your head down,” one of the jihadists said as the van headed toward the flashpoint Salahuddin neighborhood, blending in with the battle-scarred vehicles of other fighters hurtling through the streets.
Jabhat al-Nusra’s growing visibility on the streets of Syrian cities highlights one of the reasons the United States and its allies have been reluctant to arm Syrian rebels even as Obama administration officials repeatedly insist that Assad must go.