The Syrian opposition described the Arab League decision to strip Al-Assad regime of its seat at the organization as "an important step forward "to finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis. The Syrian National Change Movement welcomed, in a statement on Thursday, the Arab leaders' decision for the opposition to take Syria's seat at Arab League summit in Doha, Qatar, earlier this week. The decision was a significant diplomatic boost for the forces fighting President Bashar Al-Assad's regime as a means of self-defense against all violence carried out by the Syrian Army, the opposition pointed out. The opposition also welcomed a call to hold an international conference sponsored by the UN to rebuild Syria and rehabilitate its infrastructure to put it back on the international and Arab economic map. The 24th Arab Summit, concluded yesterday in Doha, resolved to end the Syrian crisis politically and recognize the right to self-defense against any aggressions. The Syrian crisis began in March 2011 with protests demanding Assad's ouster. With a harsh government crackdown, the uprising steadily grew more violent until it became a full-fledged civil war. The United Nations estimates that more than 70,000 people have died so far in the conflict.