ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Abdulbaset Sieda has resigned from the Syrian National Council, an opposition group that he had helped to found and briefly to lead. The Kurdish politician in part cited “side projects” like “what’s happening in Afrin.”
“I have always believed in the need for national institution that can respect the rights and the characteristics of the components of the Syrian nation for the purpose of representing the great revolution of ours against a totalitarian and corrupt regime,” Sieda wrote in a letter to the head of the National Coalition for Revolution and Syrian Opposition (National Coalition), which has a partnership with the Council.
The opposition leader added that his decision was based on his mindset when he initially participated in the founding of the National Council and then the National Coalition.
Sieda, born in the Kurdish town of Amuda in Hasaka governorate, was the president of the National Council for five months in 2012.
“Even though I had many observations on the working, formation, and structure of the Coalition, I still remained for the sake of the Syrian people,” Sieda wrote.
The National Council is an anti-regime coalition based in Turkey formed in 2011. In November 2012, they agreed to a partnership with the National Coalition and other opposition groups. They withdrew from the UN-backed Geneva peace talks in 2014, and some factions have participated in the Astana process that Russia, Iran, and Turkey in 2017.
The National Coalition, founded in Qatar in November 2012, is an umbrella of groups opposed to the Syrian government that is controlled by the Baathist regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
The Kurdish politician added that involvement in “side projects” without the consent of all parties in the partnership hindered the Council’s work at the cost of serving Syrians.
“Based on the former, so that I do not receive blame from consequences of actions and policies which I am unaware of — especially of members of the coalition participating in Astana meetings and their position on what is happening in Afrin — I hereby announced my withdrawal from the coalition,” he declared.
Turkey formally launched its Operation Olive Branch against the Kurdish-controlled canton of Afrin on Sunday.
The five-day Turkish assault, which relies on Turkey’ Free Syrian Army proxies on the ground, has killed at least 30 civilians, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Wednesday.
