This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21917630

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Syrian opposition leader Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib resigns Syrian opposition leader Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib resigns
(about 3 hours later)
The leader of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC), Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, has resigned.The leader of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC), Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, has resigned.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Mr Khatib said he was leaving the job as he wanted to work with more freedom than an official institution allowed. Mr Khatib wrote on Facebook that world powers had failed to help the rebels, and he could only improve the situation by working outside of the coalition.
He had promised the Syrian people he would resign if what he called certain red lines were reached, he said. Analysts say Mr Khatib believed the SNC was too heavily influenced by Islamists and foreign powers like Qatar.
He appeared to criticise the world community for not doing enough to stop two years of bloodshed in Syria. It is thought that he objected to last week's election of a prime minister for an interim opposition government.
His resignation comes a day after European Union foreign ministers failed to resolve their differences over whether to exempt Syrian rebels from an arms embargo. The SNC chose US-based Islamist Ghassan Hitto to head the alternative administration, which is intended to govern rebel-held areas from inside Syria.
Mr Hitto's election in Istanbul last Monday was described by some coalition leaders as a "transparent, democratic" election, but it also prompted several resignations from the SNC.
And the military wing of the opposition, the Free Syrian Army, has also said it would not recognise Mr Hitto because he had been forced on the opposition.
'Unprecedentedly vicious'
Mr Khatib, who was elected head of the SNC in November 2012, is seen as a respected and unifying figure in Syria.Mr Khatib, who was elected head of the SNC in November 2012, is seen as a respected and unifying figure in Syria.
But he caused controversy by offering talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on condition that 160,000 prisoners were freed. He said in his statement that he had promised to resign if certain "red lines" were reached, but he did not specify what those red lines were.
The opposition had previously insisted President Assad step down before any talks begin. "I announce my resignation from the National Coalition, so that I can work with a freedom that cannot possibly be had in an official institution," he said.
'Vicious regime' "For the past two years, we have been slaughtered by an unprecedentedly vicious regime, while the world has looked on.
Mr Khatib's resignation comes days after Ghassan Hitto was chosen as prime minister in rebel-held areas, an appointment that he is thought to have objected to. "All the destruction of Syria's infrastructure, the detention of tens of thousands of people, the forced flight of hundreds of thousands and other forms of suffering have been insufficient for the international community to take a decision to allow the people to defend themselves."
But he said he would continue to work with colleagues who were seeking the freedom of the Syrian people. Mr Khatib caused controversy in January by offering talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on condition that 160,000 prisoners were freed.
"I announce my resignation from the National Coalition, so that I can work with a freedom that cannot possibly be had in an official institution," he said in the statement. The opposition had previously insisted Mr Assad step down before any talks could begin.
"For the past two years, we have been slaughtered by an unprecedentedly vicious regime, while the world has looked on," Mr Khatib added. US Secretary of State John Kerry said he liked Mr Khatib on a personal level and was sorry to hear about the resignation.
"All the destruction of Syria's infrastructure, the detention of tens of thousands of people, the forced flight of hundreds of thousands and other forms of suffering have been insufficient for the international community to take a decision to allow the people to defend themselves." However, Mr Kerry added: "The notion that he might resign has frankly been expressed by him on many different occasions in many different places and it is not a surprise."
BBC Middle East analyst Sebastian Usher says a key reason for the international community's concern is anxiety over divisions within the Syrian opposition itself, and Mr Khatib's action may only intensify those concerns. Mr Khatib's resignation comes a day after European Union foreign ministers failed to resolve their differences over whether to exempt Syrian rebels from an arms embargo.
In a separate development, the rebel Free Syrian Army announced that it was refusing to recognise Mr Hitto, saying he had been forced on the opposition coalition and not adopted by consensus. Correspondents say divisions within the opposition are the main concern for international backers.
In last Monday's vote in Istanbul, Turkey, Mr Hitto won with 35 out of 48 votes, in what coalition leaders described as a "transparent, democratic" election.
But some senior coalition leaders are reported to have withdrawn from the vote in protest over Mr Hitto's lack of military experience.