Syrian opposition forms council to oust al-Assad

BEIRUT, September 16 (Itar-Tass) -- Syrian opposition activists formed
on Thursday their own body of authority to topple President Bashar
al-Assad in the coming six months.
The decision to form the Syrian National Council was made after
four-day talks in Istanbul, the Al-Jazeera satellite TV reported. It will
unite 140 activists living both inside and outside Syria.
Basma Kadmani, a Syrian exile living in France, told a press
conference the council has to help topple al-Assad within six months and
form an interim government thereafter.
"The political vision of the council will give a push to the
escalation of the revolutionary work we are seeing," she said adding the
council will work to mount diplomatic and economic pressure on Syrian
authorities.
According to UN data, close to 2600 people were killed in Syria since
anti-government protests began.