Syrian opposition meet to form interim gov't
ISTANBUL, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Syrian opposition groups met in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Monday to form an interim government, with 12 candidates running for prime minister.
The candidates were nominated by the General Assembly of the Syrian National Coalition within the agreed upon parameters after consultation with Syrian opposition forces and the revolutionary movement.
The 12 candidates are mostly exile-based technocrats, although two of the nominees live in government-controlled areas.
The 72 members of the coalition's general assembly are eligible to vote.
It is the group's most serious effort to form an interim cabinet since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al- Assad started two years ago.
A recent UN tally placed the overall death toll of Syria's two- year conflict at more than 70,000.