QATAR: The head of Syria's main opposition group abroad says it should retain a "central role" in any unified front against President Bashar al-Assad

Record ID: 276451

  • Title: QATAR: The head of Syria's main opposition group abroad says it should retain a "central role" in any unified front against President Bashar al-Assad
  • Date: 6th November 2012
  • Summary: DOHA, QATAR (NOVEMBER 6, 2012) (REUTERS) SYRIAN OPPOSITION CONFERENCE WITH SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL HEAD, ABDELBASET SIEDA, SPEAKING AT PODIUM BANNER READING IN ARABIC AND ENGLISH "MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL" (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF THE SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL, ABDULBASET SIEDA, SAYING: "The Syrian National Council has come under a
  • Embargoed: 21st November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Qatar
  • Country: Qatar
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA4OUIIT15FPT1T4GM8V9SNZYDH
  • Story Text: The head of Syria's main opposition group abroad insisted on Tuesday (November 6) that his organisation should play the key role in the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, potentially complicating efforts to unify the fragmented rebels.
    The Syrian National Council (SNC) has come under domestic and international criticism as being not representative of activists on the ground and dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group.
    Current SNC leader Abdulbaset Sieda admitted at a conference in Doha that some of the criticisms were justified but added they were learning.

    "The Syrian National Council has come under a lot of criticism, some of those criticisms are right. On this occasion we say that we admit our mistakes and admit the negatives that we could not deal with."
    Sieda then said Syria's opposition would be more effective with the full backing of the international community, suggesting talk of division was harmful.

    "I think the international community is not doing enough to deal with what is happening in Syria. The international effort did not meet the real needs, we feel that there is an attempt to justify this shortfall by accusing the Syrians of not being united," he told Reuters. "We hope that after this unity meeting the international effort will be stepped up to the right level."
    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week it was time to move beyond the SNC and bring in those "in the front lines fighting and dying" - a blow to the group which has been among the most vocal proponents of international intervention in the Syrian conflict.
    Former SNC head Burhan Ghalyoun said western countries wanted to see a weaker Syria.

    "The Syria people are a victim of the international and regional power struggle, a victim of the historical and unlimited support for Israel by most western countries, they wanted Syria to come out destroyed from this internal fight for freedom," he said.
    Divisions between Islamists and secularists as well as between those inside Syria and opposition figures based abroad have thwarted prior attempts to forge a united opposition and deterred Western powers keen to see Assad gone from offering more than moral support.
    Factions in the Syrian National Council (SNC) are jostling for influence before talks in Qatar on Thursday (November 8) on uniting exile opposition groups with rebels fighting in Syria. Creating a unified opposition is crucial to gaining international support and arms to topple Assad.
    But there were early signs of internal rifts at the Qatar talks, putting the new initiative into doubt.
    Thursday's meeting will discuss a proposal by influential opposition figure Riad Seif to form a new, 50-member civilian group that will later chose a temporary government and coordinate with the military wing of the revolt.
    But members of the SNC are concerned the group will lose influence inside the new body and, at a four-day meeting in Doha ahead of Thursday's talks, they are seeking to overhaul and broaden the body by expanding it from around 300 to 420 members.
    Amid deep skepticism Syria's opposition can get it together to form a credible political opposition to Assad's government Seif said he was confident the Doha talks would yield a credible and stronger alternative.

    "A strong leadership will come out of such a meeting, we hope that the Syrian people will benefit a lot from this meeting."
    SNC leaders said the changes would mean the council now included more political and revolutionary groups, but critics said little had actually changed.
    The SNC, which seeks 22 of the 50 seats in Seif's proposed assembly, will elect a new executive committee and leader on Wednesday.
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