Syria opposition fails to overcome differences in Cairo

Syrian opposition groups have agreed on a general plan for the way forward in the country at a meeting in Cairo that exposed their deep divisions.

Delegates set out how a transitional period would work and what they would do if they managed to oust President Bashar al-Assad. But they failed to reach an agreement on forming a unified body to represent them in negotiations with world powers. At one point scuffles broke out when a Kurdish delegation walked out. In Syria, at least seven people were reportedly killed on Wednesday. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four civilians had died in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province, and that there had been clashes south of Damascus near a branch of Air Force Intelligence. The Local Co-ordination Committees, an activist network, put the nationwide death toll at 20, including six people in the city of Deraa.