Anti-Assad Dissidents Form Syrian National Council

[frigidmagi]

NYTimes

Syrian dissidents on Sunday formally established a broad-based national council designed to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s government, which they accused of pushing the country to the brink of civil war.

The announcement of the Syrian National Council at a news conference in Istanbul appeared to be the most serious step yet to unify a fragmented opposition.

Burhan Ghalioun, a prominent Syrian opposition figure who read out the founding statement of the council in Istanbul, accused the government of fomenting sectarian strife in Syria to maintain its grip on power.

A group of activists had declared the preliminary formation of the council last month, but its structure, its goals and a founding statement signed by major opposition factions had not been announced until this conference.

Members said the council included representatives from the Damascus Declaration group, a pro-democracy network; the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, a banned Islamic political party; various Kurdish factions; the Local Coordination Committees, a group that helps organize and document protests; and other independent and tribal figures.