Syrian opposition leaders express optimism

Leaders of Syrian opposition groups are meeting in the safety of the city of Doha, capital of Qatar, and discussing the future of the revolution. They say they have made progress toward creating a new body of leadership for Syria. This is an indication that the opposition groups may be responding to the encouragement of Western and Gulf nations to unify and attempt to operate as one in the face of the violent oppression of President Bashar al Assad. The meeting is occurring under the patronage of the Arab League and has members of the international Friends of Syria group in attendance. Notable Syrian dissident Riad Seif has proposed a Syrian National Initiative that would unite opposition groups and leaders inside and outside of Syria and act as a mechanism for humanitarian aid to enter the country. Thus far the entrance of humanitarian workers into Syria has been sharply restricted by the Assad regime, in spite of more than 30,000 people being killed and over a million citizens being displaced. Countless others within the country are in need of humanitarian aid. This is just one in a string of international meetings centered on the violence in Syria that are scheduled to take place. The Syrian humanitarian forum, a panel of UN aid agencies, will be holding its sixth meeting in Geneva.