Arab League chief meets Syria opposition group

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi met Syrian opposition figures Thursday, a day after Damascus agreed to open talks with dissidents, a member of the Syrian National Council said. Arabi "briefed us on the details of the Arab League initiative and its goals ... aimed at finding an Arab solution to the Syrian crisis based on the need to stop the bloodshed in Syria," said Samir Al Nashar, a member of the executive bureau of the SNC. Damascus pledged on Wednesday to withdraw its forces from protest centres and engage in a dialogue with the opposition under an Arab League plan to end the bloodshed. The SNC, the largest and most representative Syrian opposition grouping, on Wednesday urged the Arab League to freeze Syria's membership in the Arab League and recognise it as the sole representative of the Syrian opposition.