(Zaman Al Wasl)- The Syrian opposition hosted by Saudi Arabia elected former Prime Minister Riad Hijab as a coordinator of a body that is expected to lead future peace talks, Reuters said on Thursday.
Hijab, who defected from Syrian President Bashar al Assad's government in 2012, was chosen on Thursday during a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh by a majority of 24 votes of the 34 members of the body, a source inside the meeting said.
Zaman al Wasl reported on Tuesday that the opposition figures who worked with the Syrian regime and have large government experience will take the lead in the negotiators team, mainly, Hijab and Riyad Nassan Agha, former Culture Minister and veteran diplomat who was elected as a spokesman.
The Syrian political and armed opposition groups agreed in Riyadh that al-Assad and his aides must step down with the start of a transition period set out last month by top diplomats.
There was also an agreement on creation of the team of negotiators to hold talks with Assad regime with a condition that membership of anyone in the team would cease to end upon joining the transitional government.
Al-Assad declared day after Riyadh meetings that he would not negotiate with armed groups, appearing to scupper peace talks that Russia and the United States hope to bring about next month.
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