Syrian Opposition Elects Kurd to Try to Unite Movement

Syria’s main exiled opposition group has elected a Kurdish academic to try to unify the movement after months of infighting, as activists report dozens of civilians killed in government attacks around the country.

Senior members of the opposition Syrian National Council chose Abdulbaset Sieda to be the group’s new leader at a meeting in Istanbul early Sunday. Sieda is in his mid-50s and lives in exile in Sweden. SNC members including Abdel Hamid Al Attassi described Sieda as a consensus figure. “He is an academician,” he said. “He is also well-known, a moderate man. We shouldn’t claim that he has Islamic tendencies or secular tendencies. He has been approved and accepted by everyone.” Sieda replaces Burhan Ghalioun, who agreed step down last month under criticism of his leadership. The SNC has been plagued by internal rivalries since it was formed last year to try to present a credible alternative to the autocratic government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Ghalioun’s critics complained that he gave Islamists too powerful a role in the SNC and did not do enough to coordinate with committees of youth activists organizing protests inside Syria.