*** Welcome to piglix ***

Syrian National Council

Syrian National Council
المجلس الوطني السوري
Al-Majlis al-Waṭanī as-Sūri
Syrian National Council logo.png
Abbreviation SNC
Formation 23 August 2011 (5 years ago)
Purpose Opposition to the Syrian Government
Headquarters Istanbul
Location
Region served
Syria
Membership
420 members
(Since 1 November 2012)
Chairman/President
George Sabra
Executive Board
George Sabra
Abdulbaset Sieda
Mohamad Faruq Tayfur
Ahmad Ramadan
Hisham Marwah
Salem al-Musallat
Hussein al-Said
Abdulahad Astepho
Jamal al-Wared
Nazir al-Hakim
Khaled al-Saleh
Spokesperson
Radwan Ziadeh
Website www.syriancouncil.org

The Syrian National Council (Arabic: المجلس الوطني السوري‎‎, al-Majlis al-Waṭanī as-Sūri, French: Conseil national syrien) sometimes known as SNC, the Syrian National Transitional Council or the National Council of Syria, is a Syrian opposition coalition, based in Istanbul (Turkey), formed in August 2011 during the Syrian civil uprising (escalating into civil war) against the government of Bashar al-Assad.

Initially, the council denied seeking to play the role of a government in exile, but this changed a few months later when violence in Syria intensified. The Syrian National Council seeks the end of Bashar al-Assad's rule and the establishment of a modern, civil, democratic state. The SNC National Charter lists human rights, judicial independence, press freedom, democracy and political pluralism as its guiding principles.

In November 2012, the Syrian National Council agreed to unify with several other opposition groups to form the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, commonly named the Syrian National Coalition.

The Syrian National Council withdrew from the Syrian National Coalition on 20 January 2014 in protest at the decision of the coalition to attend the Geneva II Conference on Syria.

When the Arab Spring broke out, Syrian protesters began consolidating numerous opposition councils. The SNC's formation was announced in the city of Istanbul, Turkey on 23 August 2011, after a succession of meetings in Turkey and elsewhere. Its intended purpose is to "represent the concerns and demands of the Syrian people." The creation of the SNC was celebrated by the Syrian protestors since the Friday protest following its establishment was dubbed "The Syrian National Council Represents Me".Yaser Tabbara, the council's spokesman at that time, said the membership of the council would include 115 to 120 members from all Syrian opposition groups, including the now defunct National Council of Syria. It has so far unveiled the names of 71 members, mostly living outside Syria. On 2 October 2011, the council formally declared its organizational affiliations and structure, to include a General Assembly, a General Secretariat and an Executive Board.


...
Wikipedia

...