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| "New Syria" Ambassador to Qatar, Nizar al-Haraki |
Qatar is the world’s first to hand over the Syrian embassy in its
capital, Doha, to the Syrian opposition.
The move was announced in a statement by the Syrian National Coalition of
Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, which promptly named Nizar al-Haraki as
ambassador.
Haraki, 50, hails from Deraa, cradle of the Syrian uprising, and is an
electrical engineering graduate of Aleppo University, where scores of students
were killed by MIG airstrikes in mid-January.
Speaking to AFP by phone, Haraki said the Qatari
authorities had accepted his appointment.
"I will start work
along with two other diplomats," said Haraki.
"Depending on
whether they support the revolution, we will decide which former embassy staff
members we will keep, and who we will lay off."
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| Captured al-Jarrah air base |
In its statement, the
Syrian National Coalition said one of the embassy’s priorities would be to work
in tandem with the Qatari Foreign Ministry on issues concerning the travel documents
of large numbers of Syrian exiles and refugees.
Human rights chief Navi
Pillay says the death toll in Syria is now nearly 70,000. She had given an
estimate of at least 60,000 at the beginning of the year.
Russia today confirmed
it is still supplying arms to Syria's government. However, the head of the
state arms exporter said the supplies did not include attack weapons such as
planes or helicopters.
In fighting this week,
Syrian opposition forces captured al-Jarrah military air base near Aleppo,
where they seized usable MIG fighter jets.
They also overran the
country’s strategic al-Furat hydroelectric dam, which they
have fought over since July.
The dam is 60 meters
high and 4.5 kilometers long and is Syria’s largest. It was built between 1968
and 1973 with help from the Soviet Union.
