Qatar PM urges Syrian opposition to unite

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani urged Tuesday evening the Syrian overseas opposition forces to put their differences aside in order to "save the lives of their brothers inside" the country. The Syrian opposition forces have to focus on how to help their the civilians who face systematic killings at the hands of the government forces and the Syrian government has to realize that it's running out of time, he stressed. Sheikh Hamad, also Minister of Foreign Affairs, made the remarks in a joint press conference with visiting Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov after their talks here. The UN-Arab League joint envoy for Syria Kofi Annan has delivered a message to the Syrian government to the effect that it can no longer pursue the violent campaign against its own people, he noted. Asked about recognition of the opposition Syrian National Council as representative of the Syrian people, he said: Recognition has already been done during the Friends of Syria Conference, held in Tunis, on February 24. "The State of Qatar has been a party to the panel that worked out the final communiqu{ of the international conference," he reminded. Regarding the talks with Borisov, Sheikh Hamad said they discussed the relations between the two friendly countries and ways for enhancing them in all fields. The talks also dealt with a range of regional and international issues of common interest, he added.