A group of about 150 critics of the Al-Asad regime met publicly at a Damascus hotel on Monday with the permission of the government. After calling for an end to the brutal treatment of protestors and a peaceful transition to democracy, the critics were invited to be part of a larger “national dialogue conference” the government plans to hold in July. According to Sana, the state-run news agency, the parley will deal with constitutional issues including the role of political parties and the media, and will be “open to all Syrians…to take part in building a democratic, pluralistic society meeting the aspirations of the people.” The dissidents assembled in Damascus called for the immediate withdrawal of all troops from Syrian the cities and towns; and for an investigation into the army’s killing of thousands of Syrian civilians.