Syrian LCC Breaks Support of Syrian National Council

The Syrian National Council (SNC) has elected former spokesperson George Sabra as its president. The appointment was made on Friday, November 9, at a meeting in Doha, Qatar. The SNC has proved to be one of the primary opposition groups throughout the conflict in Syria. On the same day as the change in leadership, the Local Coordination Committees in Syria (LCC) has announced that it is breaking its direct support of the SNC. The LCC issued a written statement saying, “Several attempts have been made by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria to push the Syrian National Council and its leadership to adopt a serious and effective general reform plan so that the SNC can assume its role as a political representative of the great people of Syria. “It is clear to us now that the Syrian National Council is not fit to assume such a role, especially after the disappointing results of its restructure attempts.” Some members of the LCC have stated that they are remaining supporters of the SNC. Nonetheless, the loss of the LCC will prove to be a major blow to the SNC, as the LCC is responsible for the documentation and organization of a vast amount of the opposition’s actions. The SNC hopes that the change in leadership will prove to be a refreshing change of pace of pace to the organization’s current direction, as fighting in Syria escalates further. Following the most recent surge of fighting, as many as 11,000 Syrian citizens have fled into Turkey and Jordan. As many as 400,000 are registered or are awaiting registration as refugees, according to Ron Redmond, U.N. Human Rights council spokesperson. Future plans for the LCC are still unknown. Although the group pulled its support of the SNC, it is important to note that the group is still prominent in the opposition movement.