TURKEY: The Syrian opposition's grand assembly meets in Turkey to elect a new president and vote for a new cabinet

Record ID: 276506

  • Title: TURKEY: The Syrian opposition's grand assembly meets in Turkey to elect a new president and vote for a new cabinet
  • Date: 23rd May 2013
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF SYRIAN NATIONAL COALITION ACTING PRESIDENT GEORGE SABRA AND FORMER PRESIDENT MOAZ ALKHATIB CHAIRING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING VARIOUS OF MEETING IN PROGRESS SYRIAN NATIONAL COALITION SPOKESMAN KHALED SALEH HOLDING NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMEN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SYRIAN NATIONAL COALITION SPOKESPERSON KHALED SALEH SAYING: "In terms of the the position
  • Embargoed: 7th June 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA2QPQPXLLKAZ3RQGJBH3KJ9Z3
  • Story Text: Syria's opposition coalition met in Istanbul on Thursday (May 23) to decide whether to participate in a U.S. and Russian-sponsored conference to try to end the Syrian civil war.
    A session of the 60-member general assembly of the Islamist-dominated coalition will also elect a new head and discuss the fate of provisional prime minister Ghassan Hitto, who has come under heavy criticism for being too influenced by opposition figures with close links to Qatar, coalition insiders said.

    "In addition to the political issues, we have housekeeping issues like having new elections for the president and the interim government is going to be presented before the meeting for approval, " Louay Safi said, a member of the Syrian National Coalition.
    In an effort to widen the appeal of the coalition, backed by Saudi Arabia, Hitto is likely to be replaced by Ahmad Tomaa Kheder, an independent Islamist from the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zor. He worked closely with liberals in peaceful opposition to President Bashar al-Assad before the war, the sources told Reuters.
    In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has increased its efforts to court the Syrian opposition as the kingdom takes a bigger role in trying to bridge differences within the anti-Assad camp, diplomats based in the region said. Together with Qatar, Saudi Arabia is the main Arab backer of Assad's foes on the ground.
    A blow has been dealt to the opposition's unity by the resignation of the coalition's maverick president Moaz Alkhatib in March.
    Alkhatib, who had offered Assad a negotiated exit, has been meeting the coalition's 11-member leadership committee in Istanbul over the past two days, the sources said.
    The committee has so far failed to reach agreement on the peace conference, which Washington and Moscow want to hold by the end of the month.
    Among the strongest contenders to replace Alkhatib are George Sabra, a veteran Christian opposition figure who is the acting president of the coalition, and Burhan Ghalioun, a liberal professor based in France who had campaigned for democratic change in Syria since the rule of Assad's late father, coalition insiders said.
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