Syrian opposition renews efforts to form provisional government

CAIRO (Reuters) - Syrian opposition leaders renewed their efforts on Friday to form a provisional government to halt a slide into chaos in rebel-held areas, a day after insisting that any peace talks have to result in the removal of President Bashar al-Assad.

Almost two years after the national revolt against Assad broke out in southern Syria, the absence of a political leadership from swathes of land under rebel control has been a glaring weakness of Assad's foes, who have little control over Islamist brigades making advances on the ground.