Syrian opposition head al-Khatib ‘refiles’ resignation

BEIRUT

Syrian Opposition Council Chairman Moaz al-Khatib speaks during a press conferance at the Friends of Syria meeting on April 20, 2013 in Istanbul. A meeting of the 11-member core group of the "Friends of Syria" began in Istanbul on Saturday, with US Secretary of State John Kerry set to announce new non-lethal military support for rebel fighters. AFP PHOTO/OZAN KOSE

Syria’s National Coalition (SNC) head Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib has refiled his resignation and an interim leader is being sought, a fellow member and a source close to the main opposition group said today.

Al-Khatib insists on resigning, almost a month after first announcing he was stepping down and two weeks before SNC leadership elections are scheduled to take place. “I can confirm that Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib has resigned from the presidency,” Coalition member Marwan Hajjo told Agence France-Presse, following the “Friends of Syria” meeting in Istanbul. When al-Khatib first resigned, “the Coalition’s General Assembly did not meet to discuss his resignation. But now, I can confirm al-Khatib’s resignation is final,” said Hajjo, who heads the Coalition’s membership committee.