Syria Rebels Open 'Embassy' in Qatar
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The Syrian opposition opened in Qatar on Wednesday its first "embassy," a day after opponents of President Bashar Assad were given Damascus's seat at the Arab League.
Opposition chief Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib and Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Khaled al-Attiya inaugurated the representative office dubbed the "Embassy of the Syrian National Coalition".
The original Syrian embassy itself remains closed.
Gulf states announced in March last year that they were closing their missions in Syria over Assad forces' crackdown on dissent that has transformed into a civil war that has killed more than 70,000 people.
The opening of the mission came a day after the Arab League welcomed the Coalition to take the seat of Syria an annual summit of the 22-member bloc in Doha.
In a speech addressing the leaders, Khatib said the opposition also wants to assume Syria's seat at the United Nations.
"This is the first embassy of the Syrian people," said Khatib in the ceremony that saw the rebel flag raised on a villa provided by the Qatari government.
Nizar Haraki, named by the coalition in February as its "ambassador" to Qatar, told Agence France Presse he would "soon" present his accreditation letter to the emir of Qatar.
The coalition has named envoys in several countries, including Britain, France, Libya, Turkey and the United States, but has yet to open diplomatic missions in those countries.
Qatar is the most vocal supporter of the Syrian opposition.
Syria's seat at the Arab League has been vacant since the bloc suspended its membership in November 2011 after Damascus rejected an Arab proposal to end violence against protesters and instead pressed a bloody crackdown on dissent.
27 March 2013, 18:53
13
No he will name him head of the torture department and the plant-a-bomb department of the iranian secret service.
27 March 2013, 19:23
11
Soon the capital of Syria will be Doha and its president the Amir of Qatar and the Saudi King. The puppets around will carry his orders with the full blessings of the West.. As I said earlier, the Arabs have cars with a Reverse Gears (Vitas) only.
27 March 2013, 20:18
63
It is unfortunate that a swinging pendulum tends to go to both extremes before it settles in the center. Case in point Tunisia and Egypt. Hopefully equilibrium will soon be restored.
That said, it baffles me, and still does, why Qatar of all nations started by arming the extreme Sunni Islamists (Al Nusra etc.)! One would have guessed KSA would be one to do that, go figure.
A Sunni friend of mine keeps reassuring me that the Salfist in Lebanon are being blown out of their real proportions by their confrontational acts and the coverage they get. He insists that when HA awakens and pulls back from the extremism it has been excercising of late the mainstream Sunnis will once again take over. The principle advanced is that old one "La yfoull al hadeed illa al hadeed". One can only keep hoping since Salafist are definitely NOT an improvement over HA.
27 March 2013, 21:21
53
"nation comes before confession. or "
a sentence you seem to forget when you defend that sectarian orthodox law...double standards as usual....
28 March 2013, 02:02
31
How about we try logic then hlo2
Do you really think I am the only who knows what a Phoenix is?
Second, if you have n accounts the you would be able to give n thumbs up/down to other comments but n-1 to yours as you would not be able to thumbs up/down on your comment. That is called logic so pipe down!
28 March 2013, 03:57
31
Hlo2. Lebanon has seen the trenches of hell and survived. Take your wishfull thinking and shove it up your pipe so far that you will choke on it. To2 w mout. Lebanon will always live on!
28 March 2013, 05:14
01
Here are few thin gs that are wrong with Salafists:
- Their beards are too scary, they are not good for tourism.
- They believe in Jihadism (violence) against non-believers. Not good for a multi-religious society like Lebanon.
- They are extremists in thoughts and actions, hence not compatible with a Democratic system like we wish to have in Lebanon.
...... more or less same reasons why Christian Fundamentalists or HA is not good for Lebanon.
28 March 2013, 05:24
31
Ghass min 3an ra2btak Lebanon, the Lebanese and myself will live on. As for calling Lebanon and the Lebanese trash, I think it's pretty obvious where the trash lies. This is my last reply to you as from this point on you don't exist.
28 March 2013, 05:44
21
They are recognizing illegitimate and unconstitutional governments....... Only a matter of time and they will claim their illegitimate children conceived during Mutaa. How pathetic, racist and hateful could this kingdom become?
