WORLD_ Christian elected as head of Syrian National Council

Christian elected as head of Syrian National Council

The Syrian National Council, the main political opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s regime, defied accusations of being Islamist-led by electing a Christian opposition activist to the presidency on Friday night.


Christian elected as head of Syrian National Council The Syrian National Council, the main political opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s regime, defied accusations of being Islamist-led by electing a Christian opposition activist to the presidency on Friday night. A rebel fighter fires toward a building where Syrian troops loyal to President Bashar Assad are hiding during clashes in Aleppo. Photo: Narciso Contreras/AP

By Ruth Sherlock, Doha
12:56AM GMT 10 Nov 2012


George Sabra was elected the leader of a body that has come under heavy criticism from international allies for being both ineffective in the fight against the Syrian regime, and too much under the sway of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“The choice of a Christian as leader proves that there is truth when the Syrian people shout that they are one, one, one. It shows that we are not sectarian,” said Mr Sabra, speaking from the plush, heavily decorated conference room in Doha where the voting took place.

Mr Sabra’s chances of becoming leader had seemed doomed just a day before when he had failed even to gain enough votes to be elected to the SNC executive committee, the body from which the leader is drawn.

Hours before the election Wazel Shimali, a member of the SNC executive gave up his seat for Mr Sabra.

“Never have I seen two men fighting to give up their places,” said Mr Sabra. A 65-year-old geography teacher, Mr Sabra comes from the mixed Damascus suburb of Qatana and marched in early street demonstrations demanding Assad's removal last year before fleeing the country when secret police began targeting prominent pro-democracy campaigners.


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Mr Sabra immediately appealed for arms to fight Assad's forces. "We need only one thing to support our right to survive and to protect ourselves: we need weapons, we need weapons," he told reporters.

Representatives from the SNC are in talks with other Syrian factions including representatives of rebel groups inside Syria on forming a new, wider body that hopes to gain international recognition as a government-in-waiting.

Qatar has hosted hundreds of figures from the SNC and other groups over the past week in five-star hotels, while foreign diplomats have hovered on the sidelines to prod them towards an agreement.

The Syrian National Initiative, originally proposed to Qatar by opposition member Riad Seif, is to consist of up to 60 persons. Currently ten of those are from the SNC, 15 members are representatives from Syria’s main city, and the remainders are prominent figures from the Syrian uprising from inside and outside Syria.

The SNC is worried that its influence will be diluted in any new body, and has been stalling on committing to the decision and proposing alternative proposals in which they would play a bigger role.

“The SNC are trying to slow the process down, but tomorrow there will be an important announcement that the initiative will go ahead. The international community has spoken to them tonight and told them they have no choice; either they join or they leave,” said Mustafa Al-Ali, a member of the SNI.


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