Syrian National Council opens office in Ankara

The Syrian National Council (SNC) has opened its first official headquarters in Ankara yesterday. The Council aims to be recognized by international society as the sole representative of Syrian opponents. Amid tensions in Syria, Munir Dural, a Turkish citizen working in Saudi Arabia as a truck driver, was shot dead by security forces in the Iblid province near the Turkish border. The dead man's brother said that Dural was seized after crossing the border in his vehicle, and lost his life during a crackdown on an anti-regime protest in Syria. Turkish trailer trucks and pilgrim convoys passing from the region have been also attacked before. Speaking at the year-end consultative group meeting yesterday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, "In Syria, more than 5,000 people are dead. This cannot go on. In the name of humanity, it is time for the international community to act." Furthermore, Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning to Turkish citizens for Syria, indicating that clashes in Syria poses a threat to people traveling close to Turkish border in Syria and that Turkish citizens should not travel in Syria unless they were obliged to do so.