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Syria to hold national dialogue within one month: VP

Arab World Materials 22 July 2011 14:32 (UTC +04:00)

Syrian Vice President Faruq al- Sharaa said late Thursday that the national dialogue would take place within one month, DPA reported.

The national dialogue conference would take place in one month if the communication with various opposition figures continued, while the constitution amendments needed another three months, al- Sharaa said at a press conference.

The reform is led by President Bashar al-Assad, al-Sharaa said, stressing that the president set a timetable for it.

Referring to the fears of a sectarian violence in Syria, al- Sharaa said the Syrian people are immune to such things, adding that the resolution of the recent crisis would come with more reform and awareness "that would keep the country immune against the crisis."

Speaking to supporters at the Damascus University, al-Assad announced last month that a national dialogue would start soon and he was forming a committee to study the constitutional amendments, including one that would open the way for forming political parties other than the ruling Baath party.

The nearly four-month unrest in Syria has sparked the need for dialogue to find an outlet. However, the opposition activists, most of whom live outside Syria, said it was too late for any effort to bridge the gap between the government and the protesters.

The Syrian government said 1,200 members of security forces and army personnel had died since the eruption of protests. According to activists, more than 1,600 civilians have died and some 10,000 have been detained.

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