The Syrian Revolution General Commission (SRGC) and its representatives, including Suhair Atassi, have withdrawn from the Syrian National Coalition, amid rumors Qatar is yielding undue influence on the body.
The SRGC accused the Coalition of wasting funds for their own benefit, and wasting time appearing on satellite channels, rather than working for the revolution.
It also suggested the Coalition is being manipulated by certain countries seeking to divide the group into competing blocs, and serving foreign agendas.
Elaph sources said some people are trying to reduce the impact of the SRGC decision by suggesting Qatar is behind it. Atassi has told circles close to her that she has “paid the price for overthrowing Qatar," by denying accusations that she is working with embassy representatives.
Atassi said those connected to the Qatar state are Khaled al-Atieah and businessman and general secretary of the Coalition, Mustapha al-Sabbagh. She said they have “transformed the Coalition into a holding company," also noting that Sabbagh had responded by saying that if he had done so, the Coalition would have been successful.
In a statement issued Sunday, the SRGC said an agreement had been reached to form a Coalition on the basis of proper representation of the revolutionary forces inside Syria, by giving them one third of the seats.
“This never happened. Not even after the last expansion in Istanbul," the statement said.
The statement confirmed that the SRGC “has sent the Coalition another statement asking to recant the appointment of figures who don’t represent the revolution and to expand the Coalition to include the revolutionaries inside Syria.”
But they said, the statement fell on deaf ears, and moves to expand the Coalition “included names we once called on in demonstrations against the Assad fascist regime, to bring down,” saying it considered the new members as on the regime's side.
The statement also condemned the use of Coalition funds being used for the personal gain of some members, while those inside Syria suffer bitterly from homelessness and shortages, living at mere subsistence levels.
The SRGC said its support for the Coalition was conditional upon “true and effective participation of the revolutionary movement… to advance the revolution and on the exclusion of opportunists.”
“The Higher Revolutionary Council has withdrawn confidence from the Coalition and the Syrian National Council and demands evidence against those who have abused the Syrian revolution,” the SRGC statement said.
“We reject any revolutionary group formed outside Syria and warn opposition forces from acting without the support of the revolutionaries inside the country.”
Translation and editing by The Syrian Observer
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