Although the conference was called to chart the country’s future, the Kurdish-led militia that controls much of Syria’s northeast was not invited.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Participants from across Syria gathered on Tuesday to commence the much-anticipated Syrian National Dialogue Conference despite lacking representation from the Kurdish-held northeast.

Hundreds of Syrians will gather in Damascus on Tuesday for a one-day national dialogue conference, billed by the country's Islamist rulers as a key milestone in the transition to a new political system after decades of Assad rule.