Coalition gives SNC members 48 hours to return or resign: warning

The political command of Syrian National Coalition Thursday issued a warning to all 44-quitted members over Geneva II participation on January 21, to return or to send their resignations in a maximum period of 48 hours, according to Zaman Alwasl.

 It is a provocative demand many opposition figures said to Zaman Alwasl as Dr. Khaled Khoja, because the warning has addressed the National Council only.

 SNC announced quitting the umbrella Coalition in protest over the Geneva II peace talks with the Damascus regime. The group said it would be going back on its “commitments” to not enter negotiations until Bashar al-Assad left power -- something which he refuses to do, according to AFP.

Khoja loomed to an intention by coalition presidency to monopolize power as taking unilateral decisions; we have seen that in Salim Idriss dismissal 3 days ago from Joint Chiefs of Staff. "What they want right now is loyalty before working for the revolution," he added.

Senior opposition figure said in statement submitted to the Coalition leadership that Syrian National Council (SNC) is still a key component in the Coalition despite the quitting claims on January 21.

Marwan Hijo al-Rifai, head of the Membership Committee and a member of the Legal Committee in the National Coalition said the SNC is still the Coalition biggest bloc with its 22 members, according to the first paragraph of Article 3 in the Coalition statute.  

Al-Rifai assured in his statement, seen by Zaman Alawsl, that all coalition members should be united due to the critical period of Syrian revolution, «We need to save all efforts to protect the only legitimate opposition body who has been recognized by the International Community," he said, adding, we have to keep the principles of Syrian revolution and to achieve its goals in Freedom dignity and equality."

 Syria's nearly three-year conflict began as popular protests against four decades of Assad family rule but changed into armed insurgency under a security force crackdown.

Now the major Arab state is in a full-scale civil war that has killed more than 140,000 people and forced over 6 million - more than a quarter of the population - to flee their homes.