Syrian opposition reelects Kurd as vice-president

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Turkish-backed Syrian opposition on Saturday re-elected Kurdish politician Abdul Hakim Bashar as its vice-president, with other key posts being held by their incumbents as well.

The media office of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, also known as Etilaf, said the political committee voted on the leadership positions in Istanbul.

The group also reelected Anas Al-Abda as president, Dima Mousa and Okab Yahya as the other two vice-presidents, and Abdul Bassit Abdullatif as secretary general.

Bashar was born in 1958 in the town of Amuda in the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakah. He studied at Damascus University, graduating as a pediatrician. He later served as secretary for the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria (KDP-S) from 2007 until April 2014, when he took his current position. Currently he is still a member of KDP-S’s political bureau. 

Bashar was also the co-founder and former president of the Kurdish National Council (KNC), formed in October 2011 with support from former president of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani.

The KNC, as part of the Turkey-based Syrian Arab opposition, has been in several political disputes with the PYD-led administration of Syria’s Kurdish-held northern areas. 

Although the KNC is part of the Turkish-backed opposition, it called on the international community in December 2018 to stop a potential Turkish invasion after US President Donald Trump announced he would unilaterally withdraw troops.

Moreover, the KNC has also condemned human rights violations in Afrin and opposed the Turkish attack on the Kurdish-majority area. However, it refused to leave the Turkish-backed opposition that supported the Turkish attack.

While the PYD was excluded from the Western-backed Geneva and Russian-backed Astana peace talks, the KNC participated as part of the coalition.

Bashar was elected as vice president of the Syrian opposition in 2014, representing that group at the Geneva II peace conference in that year.

Editing by John J. Catherine