On Monday, Syrian opposition groups gathered in Istanbul, ahead of the second so-called “Friends of Syria” meeting which will be held in Turkey on April 1.
On February 24, Tunisia hosted the first ‘Friends of Syria’ meeting, during which Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal described arming Syrian rebels as “an excellent idea…because they have to protect themselves.”
About 200 members of the Syrian opposition have been jointly invited to Istanbul by Turkey and Qatar.
The opposition’s claim comes more than ten days after Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said setting up a buffer zone along the Syrian border was one of the options his country was considering.
"On the subject of Syria, a buffer zone, a security zone, are things being studied," Erdogan said.
Turkey, which shares a 900-kilometer border with Syria, has allowed thousands of Syrian gunmen to take shelter and regroup on its soil.
Meanwhile, a Turkish diplomat said on Monday that his country suspended the activities of its embassy in the Syrian capital city of Damascus.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011.
