Syrian National Coalition forms new military council: statement

(Zaman Al Wasl)- The Western-backed Syrian opposition group, the National Coalition, has formed  a new supreme military council that includes representatives of rebel groups fighting Bashar al-Assad in the war-torn country, according to statement issued Friday.

The announcement of the new council followed two days of official meetings in Istanbul on Novemebr 23-24 between delegates of rebel factions including Islam Amy.

The 44 members to hold their first meeting in a week, according to the statement, letting the door open for new members.

observers said this move came as opposition key-ally Saudi Arabia mobilizes efforts to unite Syrian scattered armed opposition and to establish a common ground in the planning meeting in Riyadh next December.

In his turn, Saleh Muslim, co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) said Syrian Kurds need political and military representation at a Syrian opposition conference organized by Saudi Arabia next month because they are a main partner fighting Islamic State and important to Syria's future, Reuters reported.

Saudi Arabia says it is in contact with opposition groups about a potential meeting in the kingdom to unify their position ahead of upcoming peace talks. Some groups fighting al-Assad are wary of the Kurds, whom they see as collaborating with Damascus, a charge they deny.

 Muslim said no official invitations for the conference had been received yet but that the PYD expected to be represented via the National Coordination Body, a broader internal opposition group.

Since 2011, four million Syrians have fled abroad. Millions more have been internally displaced, while at least 250,000 have been killed.