Opposition: Syria uprising killings rise to 1,300

The main Syrian activist group organising protests said on Sunday a violent crackdown has killed 1,300 civilians and called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down to transform the country into a democracy.

In a declaration outlining its vision for a political solution, the National Coordination Committees said power must be handed to the army and an internationally supervised conference should convene within six months to write a new constitution and "stop Syria from sliding into chaos and guarantee a peaceful transfer of power". (Reuters)