Opposition groups agree Assad must go

Syria’s two main opposition groups settle longstanding differences to agree that Assad must step down in any deal to end the country’s conflict. The issue has dogged efforts to get the exiled Syrian National Coalition and the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change (NCCDC), to agree a common platform. The two groups say in a statement after a meeting in Brussels that peace:

can be achieved through a political process undertaken by the Syrians themselves, under the auspices of the UN.

They say they now have:

a fundamental and comprehensive change of the current political regime, including the head of the regime and all its leaders, pillars and security agencies.

agreed a road map for the salvation of Syria, including the basic principles of a political settlement, to be adopted by their respective competent bodies.