Syrian Rebels to Form Govt. Late August, Says Jarba

The Syrian opposition will form a provisional government in the second half of August after months of failed efforts, Syrian National Coalition chief Ahmad Jarba said on Tuesday.

"I expect a government in exile to be formed around 10 days after Eid al-Fitr," the Muslim feast that falls on August 8 or 9, he told AFP in Doha, which he is visiting to seek support.

"There are several candidates" for the post of prime minister, he added, saying one "will be chosen by consensus or through election."

The opposition has struggled to put forward a united front during the country's more than two years of conflict.

The last attempt to form a provisional government collapsed earlier in July when rebel Prime Minister Ghassan Hitto resigned after nearly four months of failed efforts.

Opposition sources said on Thursday that the National Coalition will meet in Istanbul on August 3 and 4 for talks on forming a provisional government.

Jarba also said the opposition needs clarifications before deciding about proposed peace talks, including mainly the position of Russia, which is providing unwavering support to the government of President Bashar Assad.

"Several issues must be clarified before attending the Geneva 2 conference, among them the Russian position," he said.

Jarba also demanded a time frame for any talks that would take place.

"Negotiations with the regime should be restricted in time," he said, adding that talks "cannot last three years, for instance, while the regime continues to kill our people."

Divisions among Syrian opposition groups and hurdles thrown up by Assad's government have blocked efforts to call a new meeting, according to diplomats.

And Jarba said the opposition is still keen to receive arms to combat Assad's forces, which have recently made advances on the ground.

"We still insist on demanding sophisticated arms, even while a political solution is sought through Geneva 2," he said.

The United States and Russia agreed in May to press for a follow-up to a meeting held in Geneva in June 2012, which set out a plan for a transition process in Syria.

Jarba will hold talks with the new emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

The visit to Qatar is to "ask for field, military, and humanitarian aid, as well as political support," he said, adding that "Qatar was among the first countries that backed the Syrian revolution."

Jarba and other top coalition leaders met French President Francois Hollande and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last week and pleaded for weapons to be quickly supplied.

U.N. officials said the death toll from more than 28 months of conflict has passed 100,000.