Ghassan Hitto, the Syrian opposition’s newly elected interim prime minister, speaks during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey. (AP)
Istanbul, Asharq Al-Awsat—Members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have voiced their dismay at the appointment of Ghassan Hitto as Syria’s interim prime minister.
Commanders from the FSA inside Syria told Asharq Al-Awsat that they have only been familiar with Hitto for a few days and are baffled at his appointment, adding that they have informed the general staff of their objection.
Luay al-Miqdad, the FSA’s political and media coordinator, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the FSA was clear in declaring its support for any provisional government on condition that it is a consensual one and has the support of the revolution forces and opposition inside and abroad. He added that the FSA was holding consultations inside the general staff with the military councils’ commanders and the revolution forces about Ghassan Hitto’s appointment, in an effort to announce its official stance in the near future.
The Syrian opposition has begun discussing the formation of the Hitto-led provisional government.
The newly-elected head of the interim Syrian government told Asharq Al-Awsat that he would start the serious search to form his cabinet which he would present to the Coalition “as soon as possible”, adding that the time is now for action to improve the situations in the liberated Syrian areas.
Sources in the opposition are expecting the government to be a small one of no more than 10 or 12 ministers, including a foreign affairs minister.
In a related development, Syrian rebels have overrun several towns near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in the past 24 hours, rebels and a monitoring group said on Thursday.
“We have been attacking government positions as the army has been shelling civilians, and plan to take more towns,” said Abu Essam Taseel, from the media office of the “Martyrs of Yarmouk”, a rebel brigade operating in the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group monitoring the conflict in Syria, said rebels had taken several towns near the Golan plateau, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed.