NEW : U.S. is pleased Syria gave the opposition some `` breathing space '' to negotiate with Assad. As international and domestic outrage festered , Syria 's embattled government allowed a group of activists and intellectuals , including some it had previously jailed , to hold a conference on democratic reform Monday at a Damascus hotel . Adviser : Protesters have `` legitimate grievances , '' but there are extremists . The Turkish government says 10,757 Syrians have fled across the border . `` We must change this tyrannical regime , '' a former political prisoner says .
NEW : U.S. is pleased Syria gave the opposition some `` breathing space '' to negotiate with Assad. Adviser : Protesters have `` legitimate grievances , '' but there are extremists . The Turkish government says 10,757 Syrians have fled across the border . `` We must change this tyrannical regime , '' a former political prisoner says .