Syria Opposition Refuses Chief Khatib's Resignation, FSA Says Will Not Recognize Hitto

The Syrian National Coalition has refused the resignation of its leader Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib, the opposition bloc said in a statement released hours after he announced he was quitting.

Neither the Coalition's presidential office nor its general assembly has accepted Khatib's resignation. "They are asking Mr Moaz al-Khatib to go back to his work as the president of the Coalition," the English-language statement said.

"Khatib has led the Syrian National Coalition at a very critical stage. He has pushed the Coalition forward skilfully, and has gained popularity and acceptance among the Syrian people," it added.

"Khatib will continue the management of the Coalition at this stage according to the agreement of the General Assembly's members."

But a Coalition spokesman admitted to Agence France Presse that it was unclear whether Khatib would go back to running the group or not.

"We will have to wait and see whether he agrees to return to the Coalition's leadership," said Soner Ahmed Taleb.

Khatib's resignation came just five days after the controversial election in Istanbul of rebel prime minister, Ghassan Hitto, who pledged to form an interim government for the large swathes of territory inside Syria that have fallen into insurgent hands.

Khatib resigned because he was under pressure from "several states, including Arab states, which aimed to make the interim government fail. This pressure annoyed Khatib", Taleb said.

"I announce my resignation from the National Coalition, so that I can work with a freedom that cannot possibly be had in an official institution," Khatib said in a statement published on Sunday on his Facebook page.

"For the past two years, we have been slaughtered by an unprecedentedly vicious regime, while the world has looked on," Khatib said.

"All the destruction of Syria's infrastructure, the detention of tens of thousands of people, the forced flight of hundreds of thousands and other forms of suffering have been insufficient for the international community to take a decision to allow the people to defend themselves," he added.

"Our message to all is that the Syrian people alone will take their decision. I had made a promise to our great people that I would resign if any red lines were crossed. Today, I am honoring my promise," Khatib said.

He had reportedly wanted to quit for some time, objecting to an interim premiership.

An aide to Khatib contacted by AFP last week before Hitto's election said it was not yet confirmed that he would resign, but he that would step down if he felt he could no longer serve the country in his current post.

Meanwhile, a rebel official told AFP on Sunday that Syria's mainstream insurgent Free Syrian Army does not recognize Ghassan Hitto.

"We in the Free Syrian Army do not recognize Ghassan Hitto as prime minister because the (main opposition) National Coalition did not reach a consensus," at the March 18 vote, said FSA political and media coordinator Louay Muqdad.

"I speak on behalf of the (rebel) Military Councils and the Chief of Staff when I say that we cannot recognize a prime minister who was forced on the National Coalition, rather than chosen by consensus," Muqdad said.

"We call on Coalition members to make right what was wrong," he added, without elaborating.

Hitto won an election in Istanbul after 35 out of 49 Coalition members voted for him following some 14 hours of discussion in a closed meeting bringing together prominent opponents based both inside and out of Syria.

But several key Coalition members, including official spokesman Walid al-Bunni, walked out of the meeting and boycotted the vote.

And later at least 12 top Coalition members announced they had suspended their membership in the opposition body in protest against an election result they viewed as illegitimate.

Some dissidents in Istanbul said the Muslim Brotherhood, a powerful opposition bloc that is part of the Coalition, had imposed Hitto as its candidate of choice in the election.

"With all due respect to Hitto, it is not possible for the FSA to recognize a prime minister who did not gather the consensus from all components of the Coalition," said Muqdad.

His comments come a day after FSA chief of staff, Selim Idriss, said in a YouTube video that "the Free Syrian Army, in all its groups and revolutionary entities, conditions its support and cooperation with a prime minister on consensus" among the opposition.