Syrian opposition groups reach unity deal

The top Syrian opposition force has reached a deal with other groups to form a national coalition that could transition into a new government, leaders say. The deal, negotiated over the weekend between the Syrian National Council and other groups in Doha, Qatar, is set to be officially signed Sunday evening, CNN reported. When the deal is signed, the coalition will decide on leadership. Ali Sadr Aldeen al-Bayanouni, the former top official with the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, said that all opposition forces agreed to the deal. The SNC, which originally objected to forming a national coalition, was under pressure by the United States and Arab nations to unify opposition groups in Syria. George Sabra, the newly elected president of the SNC, said no group should be subsumed under any other group, The New York Times reported Saturday. "The SNC is older than this initiative or any other initiative, and it has a deep political and regional structure," Sabra said. Meanwhile, 349 Syrians fled to Turkey Sunday morning as fighting in Syrian border towns intensified, Today's Zaman reported. Turkish officials registered the names of the new refugees before allowing them to enter Turkey, while health officials provided medical treatment to some of the refugees who were suffering from exhaustion.