Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara has opened a conference that aims to begin a dialogue with the opposition, whose leading figures boycotted the event.
"Today is the start of national dialogue which we hope will lead to a comprehensive conference which will herald the transformation of Syria into a pluralistic and democratic country," Mr Shara told the conference in Damascus today.
President Bashar al-Assad last month called for talks with the opposition and allowed a Damascus meeting of intellectuals and academics who are critics of the government to set the stage for the dialogue.
Anti-regime protests which began in March have posed the biggest challenge to Mr Assad's regime since he inherited power from his father 11 years ago. A crackdown has left 1,650 dead, according to rights groups.
Mr Assad has blamed the protests on a foreign conspiracy, while also saying that the demands of demonstrators "have merit" and that changes are needed.
"Political parties and human rights organizations from the opposition are boycotting because there are no suitable conditions for such a conference to be held," Mahmoud Merhi, head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, said in a telephone interview from Damascus. "How can there be dialogue when the regime continues to kill protesters and when there are more than 10,000 people jailed for their opinions?"
The protests have been part of a wave of unrest across the Middle East and North Africa this year that has unseated the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia.
Mr Shara warned that unlicensed demonstrations will lead to more deaths and said the unrest led to delays in changes that Mr Assad announced.
Agencies