''These are trust-building measures that need to take place ahead of any talks, otherwise all efforts to convene a peace conference are futile,'' Sieda said.

This means that George Sabra's task will be much more complicated than what was faced by his predecessors, Burhan Ghalioun and Abdulbaset Sieda. Indeed, he will have to rein in the Salafist movements which have come to pose a threat to revolutionary action, as well as to the foreign support and some of the regional support it receives.

"The main aim is to expand the council to include more of the social and political components," Abdulbaset Sieda, the current leader of the Syrian National Council, told reporters.

Bozkurt further reports that 'Ankara has silently pushed SNC to elect an independent Kurd, Abdulbaset Sieda, in June as a compromise leader ..

On Wednesday, Syrian National Council (SNC) head Abdulbaset Sieda told pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper that Iran was "part of the problem" and should not be involved in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.

(52) Abdulbaset Sieda replaced Burhan Ghalioun as chairman of the SNC in mid-2012.

Abdul Basset Sieda, SNC president, said in Abu Dhabi that Assad will not be allowed to leave the country and will have to stand trial in Syria for his criminal acts.

Summary: When it nominated Abdulbaset Sieda as its leader a few weeks ago, the Syrian National Council acknowledged what otherwise should have been obvious to everyone from the start.

In Turkey, the leader of Syria's main opposition group, Abdulbaset Sieda, said in a speech that the suspension of the observers' activities shows that "the international community has given up hope on this regime that is in its last days".

THE appointment of Abdulbaset Sieda to head the Syrian National Council (SNC) opposition comes at a time when the SNC is undergoing what was euphemistically called a restructuring and opening up to other opposition groups.