ISTANBUL
The Syrian National Council's (SNC) new leader Abdulbaset Sieda has said that they wanted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to hand over the power to the his vice president (Farouk al-Sharaa).
Speaking to AA correspondent, Sieda, who was newly elected to the helm of the SNC, said that his election showed that the council did not make ethnical and religious discrimination.
Sieda said that Syrian regime was losing its control on the country day by day, stating that the regime managed to control only few streets in Damascus. Assad administration was losing control over Damascus, Aleppo, Idlib and other cities, he said, adding this boosted morale of the Syrian people.
Assad must leave power and hand over it to the vice president, who was believed not to have been involved in massacre in the country, he said.
In regard to Syrian economy, he said there has been a serious economic crisis in Syria and everything was expensive.
Regarding a meeting of Syrian opposition that will be held in Istanbul on June 15 and 16, Sieda said that the meeting aimed to discuss post-Assad period. Sieda said the opposition would show that it could govern Syria.
Sieda said that the second meeting of Friends of Syrian People would be held in Paris in July, stating that they expected the meeting to highlight in a more powerful way that Assad regime could not move on. "Everyone considers that Syria has been out of control. This will affect not only Syria but also Lebanon and the Middle East. It will also affect Turkey," he said.
Sieda said that relations between the council and the Free Syrian Army have been continuing, stating that they wanted the FSA to protect the people from the regime.
SNC leader said that Turkey has supported revolution in Syria since the beginning and has been working hard. Sieda said they knew Turkey would not consider a military intervention in Syria without an international decision. Sieda said they hoped that Turkey would extend more medicine and food assistance.
