Syria Opposition Signs Deal with Cuban Counterpart

The opposition Syrian National Council has signed a partnership deal with Miami-based opponents of Cuba's communist regime, which both sides said was aimed at fighting dictatorship in their countries.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday at a Miami hotel, officials said, noting that it constituted the creation of a united front and an exchange of ideas to boost democracy and respect for individual freedoms in Syria and Cuba.

The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC), and the SNC said in a joint declaration that "the people want the overthrow of the dictatorial regimes of (President Bashar) al-Assad and (Raul) Castro."

The statement said the agreement also targeted political, diplomatic, logistical and humanitarian co-operation against the rulers in their countries.

"We are fighting for the same ideal, which is none other than the respect of the fundamental rights of the peoples of Syria and Cuba," said Sylvia Iriondo, head of Mothers and Women Against Repression in Cuba, an ARC-affiliated group.