UN donor conference for Syria urged

The Arab summit, which concluded its deliberations in Doha on Tuesday, has called for an international conference led by the United Nations for the reconstruction of Syria.
The summit urged states, regional and international organizations to recognize the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
“It also called on all regional and international institutions to provide all forms of assistance and support to enable the Syrian people to defend themselves and continue their struggle to establish justice and the rule of law in their country,” the Doha Declaration said.
Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, led the Saudi delegation to the summit, which urged Arab countries to work for economic integration by establishing a free-trade zone. It added that political, economic, social, financial and trade reform was necessary for the Arab world to create a common market.
The declaration also urged serious work in order to develop the Arab League to strengthen joint Arab action. The summit expressed its keenness to enhance the status of women in the Arab world and called for active legislation to guarantee the rights of women.
The declaration welcomed the efforts made by Qatar and Sudan to hold an international donor conference for the reconstruction of Darfur in Doha on April 7-8, 2013, and called on member states and Arab funds to actively participate in the conference.
The Doha declaration stressed commitment to maintaining the unity of Yemen and respect for its sovereignty and national independence and rejected any interference in its internal affairs. It supported Yemeni aspirations for freedom, democracy and social justice.
A number of Syrian residents in the Kingdom have expressed their happiness at seeing the Syrian seat in the Arab League taken by the opposition. Syria’s membership to the Arab League was suspended in 2011 as a result of the government’s bloody crackdown on the opposition, which has thus far claimed the lives of over 70,000 people, according to the UN.
The Syrian delegation that participated in the two-day Arab Summit included interim Prime Minister Ghassan Hitto and Muaath Al-Khatib, who, despite stepping down as president of the Syrian National Council, led the Syrian delegation.
"I think this represents a strong diplomatic presence of the SNC at the summit in Doha. The Assad regime will be even more isolated as a result. However, the SNC must use this diplomatic presence to find strong Arab support for the Syrian revolution," said Muhannad Al-Basha, a Syrian resident who works as a construction engineer in a private sector company.
Syrian residents also reaffirmed that the SNC's diplomatic presence in international and regional meetings plays a pivotal role in gaining strong international support to put an end to Assad's regime. Nevertheless, political differences among SNC members and the Syrian Free Army may hamper efforts to find a solution to the crisis.
"The SNC have scored points in attending the last Arab summit in Doha. However, discord among SNC members represents a real threat to the future of the revolution."
Muaath Al-Khatib had previously stepped down as president of the SNC due to disagreements among party members prior to taking the Syrian seat at the Arab League.
"It is a positive step to see the Syrian seat at the Arab League being filled by the Syrian opposition for the first time in an Arab summit. I was sad when Syria’s membership to the Arab League was suspended in 2011. However, the SNC must unify its vision on Syria's future to gain strong international support," said Rami Saad Allah, a Syrian resident in Jeddah.
Ahmed Sheikh, a Syrian working as a dentist in Jeddah, said: "This action was expected, as most of the Arab states recognize the SNC as the official representative of the Syrian people. However, the SNC needs to find unwavering support to put an end to the crisis."