Syria-based Palestinian groups to hold conference in Damascus

Syria-based Palestinian factions opposed to peace with Israel decided Wednesday to hold their regional conference later this month in the Syrian capital, a Palestinian official said. The meeting - which initially was envisaged as the radical Palestinians' rival to the US-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland - will take place Jan. 23-25th here, said Talal Naji, a ranking official with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. The meeting was first announced in October, then postponed for November, but failed to take place at the same time as the Annapolis conference. Naji said the Damascus meeting would be titled: "Sticking to national rights of the Palestinian people: national unity is the road to liberation and return."