Syrian rebels launch counteroffensive in Aleppo

The largest umbrella group of Western-backed Syrian opposition members met on Saturday in an effort to reach an agreement on whether to attend an internationally brokered peace conference.

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) - meeting in Istanbul for its general assembly - has demanded guarantees before agreeing to attend the talks in Geneva.

These include a guarantee that Syrian President Bashar Assad would step down in any transitional Syrian government.

But Damascus has said Assad will stay in his post at least until his terms ends in 2014 and that he may run for re-election.

"There are differences in opinion about going to Geneva. There are some conditions for the coalition," SNC member Ziad Abu Hamdan told the Associated Press.

The group is refusing to participate in talks in Moscow with Syrian government organizations on resolving the country's humanitarian crisis.

Russian officials had hoped the talks would bolster prospects for Geneva.

Turkish school:

Hundreds of Syrian children who were forced to leave their homes and cross the border into Turkey are finally receiving education, thanks to a new project set-up by the Turkish government.

A school created especially for Syrian children displaced by the war has opened its doors in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul.

The Kademoon School is the first of its kind and is a pilot scheme aimed at addressing education shortages in areas where large populations of Syrian refugees live.

Children receive English, French, Arabic and Maths lessons which follow the Syrian curriculum.

According to school officials, the 600 plus students and 45 staff members are Syrian, including 33-year-old Mohammad Tarad.

One obstacle that the school, which opened in October, has had to overcome is certification.

It is not accredited by the Turkish Ministry of Education, which governs the issuance of degrees. Nor is it recognized by Assad's government. 

On the field:

Activists said Syrian rebels have launched a counteroffensive in the northern city of Aleppo and recaptured a base near its international airport.
     
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Aleppo Media Center say the rebels were able to fully recapture the site, the base for a unit called "Brigade 80," after government troops seized parts of it early Friday.
     
The main job of "Brigade 80" was to protect the government-held Aleppo International Airport, which has been closed due to fighting for almost a year.
     
Rebels captured the "Brigade 80" site in February and now government troops are trying to get it back.
     
The Observatory said 40 rebels and more than 20 troops were killed in the latest fighting, that began Friday and continued early Saturday.


REUTERS/AP