Syrian National Council
The Syrian National Council ( Arabic المَجْلِس الوَطَنِيّ السوري, DMG al-maǧlis al-waṭanī as-sūrī , Kurdish Encûmena Nîştimanî ya Sûrî , Aramaic ܡܘܬܒܐ ܐܘܡܬܢܝܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܐ Mawtbo umṯonoyo d Suriya ; SNC ) is a Syrian opposition alliance against the Ba'ath regime of Bashar al-Assad . It is based in Istanbul and was founded on August 23, 2011 in the wake of the popular uprising .
President of the Council with its 270 members has been Georges Sabra since November 9, 2012 ; previously Abdelbaset Sieda (June to November 2012) and Burhan Ghaliun (August 2011 to June 2012) held this office. The deputy is Faruk Tajfur , a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The aim of the council is to unite the Syrian opposition. In his founding declaration, he spoke out against external military intervention in Syria, but there are increasing demands for a protection or no-fly zone . The National Council supports the Free Syrian Army , a rebel group made up of deserted personnel from the Syrian armed forces as well as foreign fighters and jihadists .
Background and foundation
Already after the Damascus Spring 2001 a National Council of Syria is said to have been founded in 2005 to create a platform against the Assad government. When the Arab Spring broke out in 2011, Syrian opposition groups formed various opposition councils. The Syrian National Council was founded in Istanbul on August 23, and claims to represent the concerns and demands of the Syrian people. The spokesman for the Syrian National Council, Yaser Tabbara , pointed out that the council had 115 to 120 members from all Syrian opposition groups, including the now disbanded and integrated National Council of Syria . The council has announced the names of 71 members, most of them Syrian exiles.
The Syrian academic Burhan Ghaliun , who lives in Paris , was declared chairman of the National Council in September 2011. On October 2, 2011, the Syrian National Council formally published its organizational connections and structures: It contains a General Assembly, a General Secretariat and an Executive Committee of 6 to 7 people, whose names must be kept secret for security reasons.
Members
On June 10, 2012, Burhan Ghalium was replaced by the Kurd Abdelbaset Sieda as Chairman of the National Council. Another member was Haitham Maleh until Ghaliun's voluntary resignation . In addition, Bassma Kodmani, who lives in France, was a member of the council until the end of August 2012 . Kodmani was a member of the Presidium and Head of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian National Council. She was very close to the center of the power structure and was one of the main spokespersons for the Executive Committee.
According to its own statements, the Syrian National Council represents around 60% of the Syrian opposition: it mainly comprises the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria and is supported by the Damascus Declaration , the Assyrian Democratic Organization , Kurdish dissidents, but also several independent Syrian dissidents and the local coordination committees - a group organizing demonstrations. Most of the known members are in exile as the council seeks to maintain support from Syria itself and to protect the anonymity of supporters in Syria.
A secular member of the National Council criticized the fact that more than half of the council was made up of Islamists . According to an official from a Gulf state, some of the members of the National Council have lived abroad for years. The only Kurdish party from Syria affiliated with the council is “ Future Now ” under the leadership of Mishal Tammo , who, however, was assassinated shortly after he announced his support for the Syrian National Council in October 2011 in the north-eastern city of Qamishli .
criticism
The founding of the Syrian National Council met with mixed reactions and criticism from another Syrian opposition alliance, the National Coordinating Committee for Democratic Change , which mainly includes left-wing secular and nationalist groups, independent dissidents and Kurdish parties, all of which are based in Syria. The General Commission of the Syrian Revolution also rejects cooperation with the Syrian National Council.
According to Abdulhakim Baschar, general secretary of the Kurdistan-Syria Democratic Party , the opposition Syrian National Council is "far too influenced by Turkey". He demands guarantees from the National Council for the Kurdish population of Syria and declares that Turkey for its part would then be forced to grant the Kurdish population in Turkey the same rights.
In August 2012, Bassma Kodmani , the spokeswoman for the Syrian National Council, resigned and accused the organization of a loss of credibility; The National Council had not succeeded sufficiently in coordinating the work of Syrian opposition groups and insurgents on the ground, she told the French radio station RFI . She has repeatedly pointed out the need for closer cooperation with the insurgents. The National Council failed to meet the hopes and legitimate expectations of the revolutionaries in Syria.
At a conference in Qatar in November 2012 , the dissident Riad Seif presented a plan at the beginning of the five-day meeting that will reduce the influence of the currently dominant Syrian National Council. The exile organization is said to have only 22 seats in the 55-strong leadership body of the National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces to make room for the rebels fighting in Syria. National Council leader Abdelbaset Sieda, on the other hand, demanded 40 percent of the seats. In 2014, the council withdrew from the national coalition in protest against the Geneva peace talks with the Assad regime.
How the United States of America classified the Al Nusra Front as a terrorist organization in November 2012, the Syrian National Council criticized the decision.
International Relations
The first UN member state to recognize the Syrian National Council as the only legitimate representation of Syria was Libya in mid-October 2011 , followed by France at the end of November. Several other states have welcomed the founding of the Council and are in contact with the Council, including Spain and Turkey , which borders Syria in the north, under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan . The Democratic Alliance for Egypt has also recognized the Syrian National Council as Syria's legitimate representative. The National Council itself has asked for international recognition and, according to its own statements, is currently playing a role as a government in exile .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Gabriela M. Keller: Syrian opposition founds National Council - courage for unity. Die Tageszeitung , September 15, 2011, accessed on September 15, 2011 .
- ↑ a b İpek Yezdani: Syrian dissidents form national council. The Edmond Sun, August 23, 2011, accessed November 19, 2011 .
- ↑ fab / ml (rtre, afpe): Syria's exile opposition with a new boss. Deutsche Welle, November 9, 2011, accessed November 10, 2012 .
- ↑ zeit.de: Syria's opposition elects Kurds as chief
- ↑ Center for Research on Globalization Background information on the Free Syrian Army
- ^ Sorbonne professor appointed head of Syrian opposition council. RIA Novosti, August 29, 2011, accessed August 29, 2011 .
- ↑ Syria opposition launches national council in İstanbul ( Memento of the original from February 15, 2012 on WebCite ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Syrian opposition launches joint National Council. BBC News, October 2, 2011, accessed October 17, 2011 .
- ↑ Abendblatt.de
- ↑ Reuters: Syrian council wants recognition as voice of opposition October 10, 2011, accessed on November 20, 2011
- ^ Syria opposition's SNC seeks backers but lacks leaders. Reuters, accessed February 17, 2012 .
- ^ Syrian Kurdish activist Meshal Tammo killed in Qamishli. Dp news
- ↑ DP news criticism of the NKDW
- ↑ The National Worldwide Middle East: Syrian Dissidents gather in Damascus tu built Unity ( Memento of the original of October 14, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Syrian Kurd Leader: Revolution Won't Succeed Without Minorities , The Atlantic on January 20, 2012.
- ↑ jungewelt.de
- ^ Negotiations on a government in exile. In: FAZ.net . November 4, 2012, accessed October 13, 2018 .
- ↑ Rally 'Round the Jihadist - By Aaron Y. Zelin | Foreign Policy. December 16, 2012, accessed August 2, 2018 .
- ↑ Andrew Rettman: France recognises Syrian council, Proposes military intervention. EUObserwer, October 24, 2011, accessed November 24, 2011 .
- ^ Trinidad Jiménez meets with delegation from the Syrian National Council. Government of Spain, November 23, 2011, accessed December 1, 2011 .
- ↑ Turkish PM: Lost Confidence in Syrian Leadership Voice of America November 14, 2011, accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Egypt's largest political bloc recognizes Syria's opposition council. (No longer available online.) In: Al Arabiya. October 11, 2011, archived from the original on October 12, 2011 ; Retrieved October 12, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Reuters America: Syria's Opposition
