海角大神

鈥� A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

In a symbolic move, opponents of Syria鈥檚 Bashar al-Assad took the country鈥檚 seat at an Arab League summit in Doha today, despite the resignation of the opposition Syrian National Council president on Sunday.

The delegation of opposition leaders included interim Prime Minister Ghassan Hitto; the head of the national council, George Sabra; and Moaz al-Khatib, who,聽despite stepping down as president of the Syrian National Council after Mr. Hitto鈥檚 appointment led today鈥檚 delegation in Qatar.

Syria鈥檚 membership to the Arab League was suspended in 2011 as a result of the government鈥檚 bloody crackdown on the opposition, which began two years ago this month and has claimed the lives of over 70,000 people, according to the United Nations.

The 鈥渄ecision for the opposition to take Syria's seat was made at the recommendation of Arab foreign ministers,鈥� The Associated Press reports.

After being met by applause, Mr. Khatib thanked the presidents, kings, and emirs in the audience for their recognition of the opposition at the two-day summit.

"It is part of the restoration of legitimacy that the people of Syria have long been robbed of," Khatib said.

When Khatib addressed the summit he opened by painting a dire picture of Syria鈥檚 reality today: a quarter of the population displaced and tens of thousands dead, reports Al Jazeera. He asked for more support from Arab and Western leaders, calling on the United States to implement NATO Patriot missiles to defend rebel-held areas from President Assad鈥檚 airpower, Reuters reports.

The Syrian government spoke out against the opposition鈥檚 presence at the summit today, saying that by inviting them, the Arab League was legitimizing 鈥渢errorist acts that are committed overtly and blatantly against the Syrians, their institutions and properties," said an editorial in the government newspaper Al-Thawra, the AP reports.

The Assad government also accused the Arab League of trying to cozy up to Israel and the US: "The Arab League has blown up all its charters and pledges to preserve common Arab security, and the shameful decisions it has taken against the Syrian people since the beginning of the crisis and until now have sustained our conviction that it has exchanged its Arab identity with a Zionist-American one,鈥� the editorial said.

Arab world split

Reuters reports that in an opening speech the Qatari emir pushed for the UN to put an end to the 鈥渙ppression and repression of the people鈥� of Syria.

It is not only international powers that are divided, however. As 海角大神 noted yesterday, divisions between the political and militarized branches of Syria鈥檚 opposition are being strained, as well.

The council has not accepted Khatib鈥檚 resignation, and has asked him to reconsider. Reuters reports that Khatib publicly said it was the lack of international failure to support an armed revolt against Assad that led to his resignation. In light of the reception of Khatib and the opposition delegation at the Arab League summit, The Guardian鈥檚 Ian Black said: