Islam Times - After announcing agreement, differences arise among the Syrian opposition

Syria (Islam Times) – Differences arise among the ranks of the Syrian opposition hours after they announced reaching a political consensus between the Syrian National Council and the Syrian National Coordinating Body for Democratic Change.

Aram media outlets had mentioned yesterday that the agreement signed in Cairo highlights the rules for the transitional period after overthrowing the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

Shortly after that, the head of the National Council Borhan Galyon announced that the text obtained by the media is just a draft that was leaked before it was ratified. Haitham Manaa, head of the Coordinating Body, said that the text was signed as an agreement with the presence of 7 members from both sides.

Galyon sought to calm down the stormy protests that broke out among the National Council and said that opposition sides have reached a draft that is to be presented to the Secretariat of the Council before a final conclusion. The initial agreement included the rejection of foreign military intervention which made some of the members of the executive committee of the council to free their membership.

However Haitham Manaa said that the signed text was not a draft but rather an agreement and was supposed to be presented to the Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil Al-Arabi if he had not traveled abroad.

The text stresses the rejection of any foreign military intervention that affects the sovereignty and independence of the county, but pointed out that Arabian intervention is not considered foreign. It also stresses the necessity to protect civilians using all means available under international law and advocates national unity and the rejection of sectarianism.

The text also commends the Syrian Army individuals that rejected killing demonstrators and stresses the necessity of maintaining governmental institutions after the regime is overthrown and the transitional phase begins.

This phase ends, according to the text, with the placement of a new constitution that guarantees a democratic and pluralistic parliamentary system and the election of a parliament and a president on the basis of this constitution. The text also calls for finding just solutions for the issue of the Kurds in Syria while maintaining the unity of the country.