Arab League foreign ministers are to meet Monday in Cairo for talks on the Syrian conflict, a day after opposition groups announced the formation of a broad-based coalition against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, dpa reported.
International peace envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, is expected to attend the Cairo talks and brief the participants on his efforts to resolve the 20-month conflict, which the opposition says has claimed the lives of at least 37,000 people.
The 22-member Arab organization welcomed the creation of the alliance, called the National Coalition of the Syrian Powers of Revolution and Opposition.
The United States, which put pressure on splintered opposition groups to unify their ranks, has called the coalition a "vitally important step."
"This offers a credible, cohesive leadership, reflective of Syrians inside your country and outside," Beth Jones, the acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said,
"We want to work with and cooperate fully with your new organization, because we share the goal of Bashar al-Assad leaving power," added Jones.
In Syria, at least 12 people were killed Monday in a bombardment by government jets in the volatile town of Ras al-Ain, near the border with Turkey, reported the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The dead included seven fighters from the rebel Islamist Al Nousra Front and five civilians, added the Britain-based organization.
The area has been the centre of fierce clashes between al-Assad's troops and opposition fighters in the past few days.