Syria releases veteran opposition figures: activists

(Reuters) - Syrian authorities have released several activists and opposition figures who were arrested as part of a crackdown to crush an uprising against the 11-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Ammar Qurabi, head of National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, said that authorities released Hassan Abdel Azim, 81, and Hazem al-Nahar Monday evening.

Another activist Louay Hussein said Fayez Sara, Kamal Sheikho and George Sabra also have been released and are waiting to finalize their release papers.

Hussein said the releases followed a meeting he and others attended with Bouthaina Shaaban, an adviser to President Bashar al-Assad.

Shaaban told the New York Times she had been asked to open talks with some activists and last week met several veteran opposition figures, promising them a freer press, political parties and an election law, the newspaper reported.

"In the next week or so, we will broaden (the dialogue)," she said.

She said Hussein, Michel Kilo, Aref Dalila and Salim Kheirbek attended the meeting.

"We said that the authorities should allow peaceful protesting and allow sit-ins so that the protesters can agree on political programs and choose their representatives who will negotiate with authorities," Hussein told Reuters.

"This should be preceded by pulling out all security personnel in plain clothes and replace them with the army and to allow media to enter the cities."

"She was positive. We are waiting for the implementations. They started those releases...which means we can continue communicating with them to reach a political outcome."

Another source familiar with the meeting said the activists told Shaaban that the use of force will only fuel protests and that they demanded an "immediate end to military attacks as signal that the regime could change its nature."

Assad has tried to face down the protests using force, promises of reform, salary increases, moves to replace emergency law and concessions to minority Kurds and conservative Muslims. He also lifted a 48-year-old state of emergency. When the demonstrations persisted, he sent the army to crush dissent.

The unrest has posed the gravest challenge yet to Assad's rule, but opposition parties are too fragmented and disorganized to lead mass protests and activists say the violent repression may crush the movement.