Syrian opposition offered country's seat on Arab League
CAIRO Arab foreign ministers have offered the Syrian opposition coalition the country's seat at the Arab League on condition that it first forms a representative executive council.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby announced to offer to the Syrian National Coalition, the Western- and Arab-backed opposition umbrella group, on Wednesday in Cairo.
The 22-member Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 after President Bashar Assad's government did not abide by an Arab peace plan that aimed to end the conflict.
The move comes as the United Nations' refugee agency says the number of Syrians who have fled their war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance has topped the one million mark.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said in a statement released in Geneva that the figure is based on reports from his agency's field offices in neighboring countries that have provided refuge for Syrians escaping the civil war.
"With a million people in flight, millions more displaced internally, and thousands of people continuing to cross the border every day, Syria is spiraling towards full-scale disaster," Guterres said.