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Opposition takes Syria seat at Arab League summit Opposition takes Syria seat at Arab League summit
(35 minutes later)
Syria's opposition National Coalition has taken the country's official seat at the Arab League summit in Qatar.Syria's opposition National Coalition has taken the country's official seat at the Arab League summit in Qatar.
They were formally invited to assume the seat by summit president, the Emir of Qatar, at the opening of the two-day meeting. The delegation led by Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, who has said he will resign as head of the coalition, were applauded as they formally assumed the seat.
The Syrian flag was replaced with the flag being used by the opposition. Mr Khatib called it "part of the restoration of legitimacy" that Syrians had "long been robbed of".
It comes at a time of disarray within the National Coalition following the resignation of its head, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, on Sunday. The move has enraged Damascus who accused the League of handing the seat to "bandits and thugs".
However, Mr Khatib is attending the summit and has said he still intends to give his speech there. The government of Bashar al-Assad was suspended by the Arab League in November 2011 in response to its crackdown on the opposition.
Both Mr Khatib and the newly-elected interim Prime Minister Ghassan Hitto were applauded by Arab leaders when they stepped forward to take Syria's official seat upon the invitation of the Emir. Emotional speech
The decision to invite the National Coalition to the summit has enraged Damascus. Syria's National Coalition was formally invited to assume the seat by summit president, the Emir of Qatar, as the two-day meeting opened in Doha.
"The League has handed Syria's stolen seat to bandits and thugs," Syria's official daily al-Thawra said. Mr Khatib was joined by the opposition's recently-elected interim Prime Minister Ghassan Hitto and two other prominent opposition figures George Sabra and Suheir Atassi.
In his opening statements, the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, called on the UN Security Council to help bring an end to the two-year conflict in Syria and hold those responsible to account in international courts. The Syrian flag was replaced at the country's official seat with the flag being used by the opposition.
In an emotional speech, Mr Khatib said the Syrian people were paying the price of liberty with their own blood.
He said he had asked the US to play a bigger role in resolving the conflict, and urged them to provide Patriot surface-to-air missiles to help protect rebel-held areas in the north of Syria.
Their seat at the Arab League comes at a time of disarray within the top ranks of the opposition National Council.
Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib announced his resignation on Sunday - so far rejected by the coalition.
He has accused world powers of failing to adequately protect the Syrian people.