Opposition Interim PM selects 10 dissidents amid disputes

 The final list of the Syrian opposition Interim government is to be consisted of ten ministers only, well-informed source revealed exclusively to Zaman Alwasl from Istanbul where the National Coalition meeting is taking place.

Mr. Ahmad Toumeh will handle the Foreign Ministry besides priming the cabinet. His list as the following:

-          Mr. Eyad Qudsi as Deputy Prime Minister.

-         Mr. Abdul-Aziz al-Shalal for Defence.

-         Mr. Ammar al-Qurabi for Interior.

-         Mr. Othman Bdeiwi for Local Administration.

-         Mr. Abdul Rahman al-Haj for Education.

-         Mr. Mohamed Jamil Jarran for Health.

-         Mr. Ebrahim Miro for Finance and Economy.

-         Mr. Elias Wardi for Petrol and Power.  

-       Mr. Walid al-Zou’bi for Infra Structures, Agriculture and Water resources.

-         Mr. Yassin Najjar for Telecommunications.

The list has not approved yet by the General Assembly of the Syrian National Coalition amid discord over some names.

Toumeh was elected on September 14 to form the Interim Government. In a speech following his election, Toumeh said: “We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. This government has been formed help us accomplish the goals of the revolution, and it will set the stage for our second independence.”

 In his first interview after he was elected, Toumeh told Reuters that the opposition faced the “ideological challenge” of convincing many who joined Al-Qaeda to leave the group.

“If they refuse, then we will look for all ways to guarantee the security of the people and their livelihood and a dignified living,” Toumeh said.

He said many of the ranks of Al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria did not have a deep attachment to the group, and joined because it provided them with weapons to fight Assad’s forces and helped local communities with bread and basic staples.

“They became susceptible to the idea that religion cannot reign unless there is a religious state. This is not what Islam says,” Toumeh said.

The government then plans to move into northern Syria, despite the risk of air strikes and shelling by Assad's forces.