Syrian opposition groups unite against Assad

Syria's two largest opposition groups have signed an agreement on setting up a democracy if President Bashar Assad's autocratic regime falls, opposition figures said.  

The move is so far the most serious by the fractured opposition to unite against the regime and shows that Assad's opponents will accept nothing less than his departure from power.    
Burhan Ghalioun, leader of the Syrian National Council, and Haytham Manna of the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria, or NCB, signed the draft in Cairo on Friday night, according to an NCB statement and Omar Idilbi of the SNC.       

Despite the observers' presence, regime forces have continued the crackdown. At least six people were killed in attacks on protests Saturday, including one in Damascus, according to the Local Coordination Committees, an activist group. A day earlier, at least 27 were killed.  

"The agreement is a good step in the right direction toward democracy," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group. He added that the agreement gives a boost to people taking part in the protests now that they know the opposition is united.      

"The regime used to benefit from divisions among the opposition," Abdul-Rahman said.  

The Arab League plan, which Syria agreed to on Dec. 19, demands that the government remove its security forces and heavy weapons from cities, start talks with the opposition and allow human rights workers and journalists into the country.

It also calls for the release of all political prisoners.