Asad to preside over national dialogue conference

Preparations have started for convening a national conference presided by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss ways of finding an outlet for the months-long crisis the country is going through, the private al- Watan newspaper said Monday. A preparatory committee chaired by Syrian Vice-President Farouk al-Sharaa would be formed soon to make preparations for an expanded national dialogue conference, said the paper. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem has recently said that a presidential decree would be issued soon to form a preparatory committee grouping all spectra of Syrian people and national opposition figures. The announcement came in the wake of calls by two moderate opposition parties on the Syrian government to speed up reforms, warning that some Arab and international sides are pushing towards military intervention in Syria. The Popular Front for Liberation and Change and the National Democratic Initiative warned in two separate statements against the aggravation of the situation in the country given the slow pace of reforms. The Popular Front urged other opposition parties to get engaged in the dialogue. Syria has been plagued by unrest since mid-March when protests against Assad's government erupted. More than 3,000 people including army and security members have been killed in the turmoil, according to figures released by the United Nations. U.S. Senator John McCain said Sunday"now that military operations in Libya are ending, there will be renewed focus on what practical military operations might be considered to protect civilian lives in Syria." He made the remarks during the World Economic Forum in Jordan. However, the vast majority of the Syrian opposition has repeatedly dismissed the idea, while the U.S. administration also ruled out such ideas.