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Syrian opposition forms 'National Council' to oust Assad
An embryonic future Syrian National Council has been born in Turkey, where various Opposition groups ranging from the Muslim Brothers to leftists, agreed to choose 140 Council members. Only 72 names have been revealed: the other members are still inside Syria. The United States and France are in favour of the initiative.
Istanbul (AsiaNews/Agenzie) – Members of Syria's opposition groups have chosen 140 people to form a "national council" after a meeting held in Turkey. The council aims to organise and to give a public face to protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It will also aim to co-ordinate the opposition's policies against the Syrian leadership. Turkey used to be a close ally of Syria, but has recently joined calls for Mr Assad to implement reforms.
At the meeting, 70 names were read out from a list of 140, as at least some of the rest cannot be named, possibly because they are inside Syria, and could incur in government repression. This is the first time that Syrian dissidents agreed to what is effectively an embryonic Syrian national assembly, supported by all Syrian groups whether inside or outside the country. An opposition spokeswoman, Basma Qadmani, said: "After completing the first level of consultative meetings, groups of revolutionary youth, political movements and personalities, activists and technocrats decided to found the Syrian National Council”. A National Council president will be elected at a further stage.
The Council members include various groups, Muslim Brothers, nationalists, leftists as well as independent persons. The formation of the National Council was immediately welcomed by the United States: “We applaud this effort” said Mark Toner, Secretary of State spokesman. The French foreign ministry, through Bernard Valero, expressed a desire to establish contact with Syrian opposition. Another opposition group, in France, known as the “Syrian National Transition Council" has chosen as its president Burhan Ghalioun, director of the Centre of Arab Studies at Sorbonne University. Ghalioun, chosen without his knowledge, said he could not refuse this “moral mission”, and he promised to work for a "united front of opposition”.