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.

A long-awaited national dialogue conference intended to help chart Syria’s political future after the fall of former President Bashar Assad is set to begin

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.