Paris -- Representatives from committees and coalitions in different countries that support Syrian protesters plan to hold their first conference in Cairo at the end of the month, sources from the Syrian opposition abroad have said. Protesters have staged demonstrations in several Syrian cities since 15 March. They call for various reforms that since last week include the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. Rights organizations have said security forces in Syria suppressed protests using live fire and tear gas, which led to 200 deaths. Meanwhile, a group of Syrian intellectuals and activists have announced the formation of a coalition in Paris to support a revolution in Syria. In a statement obtained by Al-Masry Al-Youm, the coalition said it is not a political party, and it instead hopes to bring together people who believe that an end to the al-Assad family rule is inevitable. Selim Monem, a leader from the Damascus Declaration Abroad, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Syrian regime will resort to greater violence and that it has not yet used all of its tools of suppression. Rights activist Faris al-Shofi said the Syrian regime is structurally incapable of meeting the demands of the people, because it is a stagnant regime that relies on ideology. The regime is preparing for even greater violence and could resort to sparking civil war, al-Shofi said.
