MOAZ AL KHATIB RESIGNED – SYRIA DEEPLY / THIS WEEK IN SYRIA
Mesop 24.3.2013 – In a Sunday surprise, Moaz al Khatib resigned as the leader of Syria’s National Opposition Coalition, through a statement posted on Facebook (read a translation here). It dents the already dim prospects for a political solution in Syria, hardening fears of interminable violence.
Meanwhile, on the ground, a roundtable of young voices told our Alison Meuse about the moral battle between secular and Islamist activists, as seen inCompeting Chants of ‘Civil State’ and ‘Islamic State’in Saraqeb. In a different city, but part of the same wave, Mohammed Sergie posted a telling interview with An Unarmed Activist Who’s Challenging Aleppo’s Rebels.
As part of our series of expert perspectives, this weekSyria Deeply Asks: Why Did NATO Intervene in Libya, and Not in Syria?
Community oped contributor Karl Sharro wrote a poetic analysis of A Human Flood from the Baath State, while Dina Shahrokhi filed the second part of her look at The Syria I Knew: Total War Comes to Damascus.
We broadcast a live interview via Google Hangout with UNHCR High Commissioner António Guterres and US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard.
As always to help you review, here’s our day-by-day roundup of Syria news this week:
Monday: Syria Opposition Moves to Set Up Rival Government; Reports of Syrian Jet Fire into Lebanon
Tuesday: Opposition Elects Interim Prime Minister; Syria Accuses Rebels of Firing Chemical Weapons
Wednesday: Syria and Activists Trade Charges on Chemical Weapons; Jordan King Warns Syria Could Become Jihadist State
Thursday: Rebels Take Towns Near Ceasefire Line with Israel; Syrian Coalition Atassi Rejoins Body; Syria Hands Over Lebanese Fighter
Friday: Assad Vows to ‘Clean Syria of Extremists’ After Mosque Suicide Bombing; UN to Probe Chemical Weapon Use in Syria