Syrian rebel group criticizes exiled leaders
5/29/2013
This image from amateur video obtained by a group which calls itself Ugarit News, which is consistent with AP reporting, shows a rebel fighter firing a mortar with the help of a drawstring in Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, May 28, 2013. Europe's decision to allow member states to arm Syrian rebels and Russia's renewed pledge to send advanced missiles to the Syria regime could spur an arms race in an already brutal civil war and increasingly turn it into a East-West proxy fight. Britain promises not to transfer any arms before diplomacy is given a chance in Syria peace talks expected next month, while a top rebel commander says he needs Western anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles now to prevent more regime gains on the battlefield. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIRUT — A Syria-based rebel group has accused Western-backed opposition leaders of failing the Syrian people in their uprising against President Bashar Assad’s rule.
The group has threatened to withdraw its support if the Syrian opposition leaders don’t come up with a joint strategy.
In a statement today, the organization known as the Revolutionary Movement in Syria said the notoriously fractured Syrian National Coalition is “unable to fulfill its obligations due to the ongoing discord” among its different parties.
The Coalition has been meeting for days in Istanbul but has failed to agree on several decisions, including on whether to attend international peace talks in Geneva with representatives of Assad’s regime.