Friends of Syria meet in Tunisia

Tunisia will host the Friends of Syria International Conference today. Its topics for discussion have not been named yet. Diplomatic sources say that the main issues for talks are measures and instruments to transport humanitarian aid to Syrian cities, support of opposition of the Syrian National Council and coordination of international sanctions to pressurize Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

Some media say that attendants of the conference plan to support the Arab League’s plan to settle the crisis in Syria, express solidarity, switch to political means of settling the conflict and condemn all forms of violence.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the Syrian National Council represents the population and is trustworthy. She noted that Syrian opposition will soon have more international support. The state secretary believes that Russia and China, the states blocking resolutions on Syria at the UN Security Council, would support the Arab League’s plan.

Diplomats in Cairo say that the conference in Tunisia will renew the monitoring mission with international technical and material support for observers.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed his predecessor Kofi Annan as special envoy of the Arab League and UN to Syria, as stated by Ban Ki-moon and Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil El-Arabi.

The Friends of Syria conference will be held 2 days prior to the referendum on the new Constitution of Syria (set for February 26). The new Constitution ends the Baas Party’s monopoly on power and introduces a multi-party system and equality of political parties. Syria is called a democratic state in the document.