2011 Antalya Conference for Change in Syria
| Date | 31 May – 3 June 2011 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Falez Hotel, Muratpaşa |
| Location | Antalya, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 36°52′59″N 30°39′57″E / 36.88306°N 30.66583°ECoordinates: 36°52′59″N 30°39′57″E / 36.88306°N 30.66583°E |
| Also known as | Antalya Opposition Conference |
| Type | Conference |
| Theme | Political situation in Syria |
| Patrons | Ali & Wassim Sanqar, Ammar al-Qurabi |
| Organized by |
National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, Abdulrazak Eid |
The Conference for Change in Syria (Turkish: Suriye'de Değişim Konferansı), or Antalya Opposition Conference, was a three-day conference of representatives of the Syrian opposition held from 31 May until 3 June 2011 in Antalya, Turkey. Since the early days of the Syrian civil uprising, it was the second of its kind, following the Istanbul Meeting for Syria that had taken place on 26 April 2011.
Organized by Ammar al-Qurabi's National Organization for Human Rights in Syria and financed by the wealthy Damascene Sanqar family, it led to a final statement refusing compromise or reform solutions, and to the election of a 31-member leadership.
More than two months into the uprising, the death toll had reached 1,000. So after the April 2011 Istanbul Meeting had only resulted in a first joint declaration, a second meeting was envisioned to form a permanent committee, that was likened to the Libyan National Transitional Council.
On 30 May, the eve of the conference, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad offered a general amnesty for prisoners, including those deemed to have committed "political crimes." The opposition however rejected the offer, considering it as just another plot by the regime to gain time. Mohammad Abdullah, son of political prisoner Ali al-Abdullah and a Washington-based Syrian dissident attending the conference, stated: "This shows weakness on the part of the regime.”
The conference was attended by c. 350 representatives of the Syrian opposition from all over the world, with a vast majority of c. 300 participants coming from the Syrian diaspora. According to the observing Tharwa Foundation, the participants represented more than 68 opposition parties and groups and a dozen human rights groups. While only few prominent oppositional figures from inside Syria participated, others, including Haitham al-Maleh, gave their support through voice recordings.
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