A statement released today by the Syrian Democratic Coalition (SDC), a coalition of seven Syrian opposition groups, announced that two new groups have joined the coalition: "The Syrian Democratic National Gathering (SDNG), a political organization that was formed in 1986 in Syria and that is led by Marwan Hammoud, and the Solidarity Council, a Kurdish organization with its leadership inside Syria."
The statement added, "[t]he announcement came from both groups while the seven parties, representing the Syrian Democratic Coalition, were meeting in Berlin to discuss the upcoming SDC conference that will be held in the Fall of 2006 in Washington DC."
The Vienna-based Hammoud had initially joined the National Salvation Front (NSF) but withdrew shortly after the NSF's conference in London last month.
The reason for the withdrawal seems to be related to disagreements over how members of the NSF's Central Committee were elected.