Opposition chief enters Syria for first time

Abdel Basset Sayda, the head of the main opposition Syrian National Council, entered the country on Monday for the first time since assuming his post in June, rebel sources said. Sayda paid a visit to the town of Bab al-Hawa in the northwestern province of Idlib, on the border with Turkey, where he met several leaders of the rebel Free Syrian Army, the sources said. Among the rebel commanders taking part were the military council chiefs for Idlib province and for neighbouring Aleppo province -- scene of fierce fighting since July in the city of the same name, Syria's second city and commercial capital. Sayda was accompanied on his visit to rebel-held territory by several other SNC members and by General Mustafa al-Sheikh, the highest-ranking Syrian army officer to have defected to the opposition. The visit came as the exiled opposition said it was planning a major makeover to address concerns about its representativeness. SNC member Louay al-Safi told AFP that the group would unveil the changes at a meeting in the Qatari capital Doha next week. Last month, the SNC agreed to expand to include more opposition groups, but not the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, which favours non-violent regime change and opposes foreign military intervention in Syria.