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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Anti-Assad clan chastises U.S.

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 08/29/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

BEIRUT -- The head of the main Syrian opposition group seeking to oust President Bashar Assad criticized U.S. officials Tuesday for saying it was premature to speak about a transitional Syrian government.

The comments came on the same day a car bomb ripped through a Damascus suburb, killing 12 people, according to Syria's official state news agency. Activists also said an airstrike in the town of Kfar Nabl in Idlib killed at least 13 people as fighting raged nationwide.

International diplomatic efforts have so far failed to stem the bloodshed. The leader of the Syrian National Council called on the United States and other allies to take decisive action instead of placing blame on the divided opposition.

Abdelbaset Sieda was responding to the U.S. reaction to French President Francois Hollande's assertion the Syrian opposition should form a provisional government and promise France would recognize it.

Hollande's statement, believed to be the first of its kind, was quickly shot down by U.S. officials who said it was premature to speak about a provisional government when Syria's fractured opposition hasn't even agreed yet on a transition plan.

The U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, cited persistent disagreements among factions including the Syrian National Council, rival groups, opposition figures campaigning outside the country and rebels fighting the regime on the front line.

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 29, 2012 A8

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