US wants its man Seif to head Syria govt-in-exile
5 Nov 2012 6:56 AM IST
The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) began a four-day meeting in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday, where the USA would reportedly press for an overhaul of the coalition that aims to topple President Bashar al-Assad. Details have emerged of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's plans to press for the nomination of Riad Seif as head of the proposed government-in-exile, dubbed the Syrian National Initiative.
Seif and two dozen Syrian opposition figures had gathered in Amman on Thursday with proposals for a new body to represent the groups opposing Assad. Mohammed al-Otri, a spokesman of former premier Riad Hijab who defected in August, said that the group was proposing 'the creation of a new political organ', which would include 14 SNC Executive Council members and three from the Kurdish National Council. 'It remains to be decided whether this body will replace the SNC or will constitute a new coalition,’ said Otri, adding that the creation of the group 'will certainly lead to the formation of a government in exile'.
However, Ali Sadreddin Bayanuni of the Muslim Brotherhood supported maintaining the SNC, which has been spearheading the anti-Assad movement, and strongly opposed 'replacing it with a new body'.
Seif and two dozen Syrian opposition figures had gathered in Amman on Thursday with proposals for a new body to represent the groups opposing Assad. Mohammed al-Otri, a spokesman of former premier Riad Hijab who defected in August, said that the group was proposing 'the creation of a new political organ', which would include 14 SNC Executive Council members and three from the Kurdish National Council. 'It remains to be decided whether this body will replace the SNC or will constitute a new coalition,’ said Otri, adding that the creation of the group 'will certainly lead to the formation of a government in exile'.
However, Ali Sadreddin Bayanuni of the Muslim Brotherhood supported maintaining the SNC, which has been spearheading the anti-Assad movement, and strongly opposed 'replacing it with a new body'.
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