WAM CAIRO: The UAE on Monday participated in the opening session of a conference for the Syrian opposition groups in Cairo, Egypt.

The UAE was represented to the meeting by Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Dr Tareq Ahmed Al-Haidan.

Some 250 members of the Syrian opposition where brought together by the 2-day conference which seeks to come up with 2 documents, one to be agreed by all Syrian opposition groups to flesh out a national pact which would serve as a draft constitution for a democratic Syria, and another (a peace plan) to tackle the current crisis and realize the aspirations of Syrians for democracy and freedom.

A united body to represent all Syria-based and exiled Syrian opposition groups, either by the expansion of the current Syrian National Council or creating a new body, is being discussed at the conference.

Also in attendance at the opening session were Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil Al-Arabi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel, Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari who presides over the current Arab Summit, Kuwaiti Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah who is the head of the current Arab League Council, Qatari Minister of State for foreign affairs Khaled Al-Attiyah who chairs the Committee on Syria, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu who chairs the Friends of the Syrian People Meeting and Nasser Al-Qudwa, deputy to UN-Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan.

WAM/MMYS