CAIRO – A newly formed Syrian opposition bloc that has received Arab and international backing is to be based in Egypt, its head Ahmed Moaz Al-Khatib told the official MENA news agency Monday. “It has been decided that the Syrian National Coalition will have its headquarters in Egypt,” Khatib was quoted as saying after talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr. Amr said Egypt was willing to “offer any assistance to the coalition in the coming phase.” But a group of extremist Islamist factions in Syria has rejected the country's new opposition coalition, saying in a video statement they have formed an “Islamic state” in the embattled city of Aleppo to underline that they want nothing to do with the bloc. The statement by 13 radical factions that was posted on a militant website late Sunday suggested the extremist elements — including the Al-Qaeda-inspired Jabhat Al-Nusra — are suspicious of the new coalition. They rejected what they said was a “foreign project” and declared the northern city of Aleppo, where many radical groups have been fighting, an “Islamic state.” The National Coalition was formed last week after extensive talks in Doha, Qatar, one of the six Gulf states that have officially recognized it as the representative of the Syrian people, along with France and Turkey. The Arab League has recognized the alliance as “the legitimate representative of the Syrian opposition”. The coalition aims to present a united front to the international community and is lobbying for weapons and cash to help it topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Khatib said the coalition – which brings together 14 groups including the powerful Syrian National Council – would work to include all the holdouts. He said the National Coalition would be holding a meeting in Cairo “within 10 days” and “we will listen to our brothers who have not joined this coalition”. “Many positive steps have been taken... we will communicate with our brothers who have reservations for further cooperation for the sake of the Syrian people,” Khatib said. – Agencies
