Syria's Assad issues sweeping amnesty, including PKK militants

Facing fire at home due to unrest and protests, Syrian President Bashar Assad yesterday issued a sweeping amnesty law including members of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as Syrians who aided and abetted PKK militants. The move could contribute to Turkey's Kurdish outreach process of recent years. In a related development, Syrian dissident groups urging Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to put more pressure on Assad met in Antalya yesterday. Some 300-400 businessmen, writers, academics and journalists meeting at the conference are reportedly set to issue a declaration calling for changes in their country.