Syria rebels open 'embassy' in Qatar

The Syrian opposition opened on Wednesday its first "embassy" in Qatar, a day after the opponents of President Bashar al-Assad were given Damascus's seat in the Arab League. The head of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib and Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Khaled al-Attiya inaugurated the representative office dubbed the "Embassy of the Syrian National Coalition." The Syrian embassy itself remains closed since diplomatic ties were severed between Gulf states and Syria in November 2011 over its crackdown on dissent that has morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 70,000 people. The ceremony came a day after the Arab League welcomed the Coalition to take the seat of Syria at the Arab summit in Doha. In a speech addressing the leaders, Khatib said the opposition wants to grab Syria's seat in the United Nations.