Mouaz al-Khatib, head of Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, takes questions during a press conference following his meeting with Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General of the Arab League, not seen, at the league headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. AP Photo/Amr Nabil
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Syrian National Coalition has announced plans to form a provisional government in rebel-held areas of the country. The opposition umbrella group made this announcement on Friday following a Cairo meeting about holding peace talks with representatives of the Bashar Al-Assad government. A spokesman revealed that the coalition will meet in Istanbul on March 2 to choose a prime minister.
Syrian National Coalition member Walid Al-Bunni was quoted by Reuters as saying that this prime minister will be tasked with leading a government of technocrats able to deal with the pressing problems on the ground in “liberated” parts of Syria.
He said, “There has to be an executive authority capable of caring for millions of Syrians in the liberated territories who need water, electricity, security, and protection. Hospitals also have been destroyed by the regime and humanitarian aid needs to be managed.”
The Syrian National Coalition also announced that it will by boycotting a number of forthcoming international meetings to protest against silence over the slaughter of Syrians. The group said it would not be attending upcoming meetings in Italy, Russia, and the United States to protest against the “shameful lack of international condemnation of crimes committed against the Syrian people.”
The latest United National figure indicate that at least 70,000 people have been killed in Syria over the past two years.
Speaking to France 24’s Arabic-language channel, Bunni emphasized: “Our visit to Washington is on hold until Washington takes a stance that is in accordance with US statements on its support for democracy.”
He added, “The United States is a leading force in the world, as are France, Britain, and the European Union. They have all been unable to stop a butcher from committing massacres against our people.”
The opposition coalition had been scheduled to attend a Friends of Syria meeting in Rome on Thursday.
The umbrella group issued a statement asserting, “Hundreds of civilians have been killed by Scud missile strikes. Aleppo, the city and the civilization, is being destroyed systematically.”
“The Russian leadership especially bears moral and political responsibility for supplying the regime with weapons.”
“In protest of this shameful international stand, the coalition has decided to suspend its participation for the Friends of Syria’s Rome conference and decline invitations to visit Russia and the United States.”