Syrian opposition says US-backed revamping proposal would prolong Assad's hold on power

A U.S.-backed proposal to revamp the Syrian rebel leadership would only prolong President Bashar Assad's hold on power, the country's main opposition group said Tuesday.

The U.S. and other countries are meeting in Doha, Qatar, this week to try to create a unified front against Assad. The Obama administration has thrown its weight behind a proposal to create a 50-member group with members drawn from the rebellion on the ground in Syria, but the Paris-based Syrian National Council is balking at losing its prominence.

“Any action targeting the council will intentionally or unintentionally prolong the life of the regime,” the head of the council, Abdelbaset Sieda, said Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

The remarks come after the council said Monday it had agreed to almost double its membership, to 420 people, including women and Syrians fighting on the ground, in a bid to assuage critics and stay relevant.

The council would only have 15 seats as part of the proposed 50-member Syrian National Initiative. The plan is championed by a prominent Syrian dissident and businessman, Riad Seif, but some critics say the idea is really the brainchild of America's ambassador to Syria, Richard Ford, in a bid to weaken the Muslim Brotherhood's sway over the council, Al Jazeera reports.

Sieda's comments augur poorly for the U.S.-backed proposal, which is expected to be brought up Thursday at the international conference that includes the council and several smaller groups. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week that the council, which is made up largely of exiled academics, has little legitimacy and needs to be part of a larger, more inclusive group.

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