Syrian Rebels to Form Rival Govt for ‘Liberated’ Areas

Previous Attempt Ended in Failure When Officials Couldn't Agree on Posts

Syria’s National Coalition umbrella group has announced today that it intends to form a new government to rule over the “liberated” parts of Syria captured by various rebel factions associated with them. The meeting on the cabinet will be March 2 in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

Exactly how much of the “rebel-held” territory across Syria will actually be under the SNC government’s control is unclear. They style themselves as the leaders of the entire revolution, but several factions with territorial possessions, including the Jabhat al-Nusra, are totally unaffiliated with them.

This isn’t the first time the SNC has attempted to form a government. They did so in late January but the meeting ended in disaster and disagreement, with most of the factions refusing to even consider a prime ministerial nominee.

The new attempt might be even more contentious, with several factions angry at SNC President Moaz al-Khatib for broaching the subject of negotiating with the Assad government, with many of them insisting all negotiations are unacceptable until after the regime has already surrendered and resigned.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.