DHAKA: The Syrian National Council has moved to force the UN-Arab League envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, out of his post as the chief Syrian mediator.

According to the Beirut-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the SNC has proposed to put Brahimi’s resignation up for debate at an Arab League foreign chiefs’ meeting in Cairo, which is slated for this Sunday.

Member of the Syrian National Coalition Samir Nashar said in an interview to Asharq Al-Awsat the Council was getting more and more vocal in its demand to see Brahimi out of his high post, The Voice of Russia publishes this report on Tuesday.

In the meanwhile, SNC’s spokesman Louay Safi told Russian media there had been no official call so far for brahimi to step down but added that disapproval of his attempts to ‘rehabilitate Bashar al-Assad’ had indeed been growing inside the opposition group.

The peace envoy has recently been cited by Arab-language media as saying the embattled Syrian leader could contribute to restoring Syria. Opposition has been particularly angered by Brahimi’s calls to invite Iran to the Geneva-2 conference.

The initiative to put Brahimi aside has come as the UN/AL representative embarked on his Middle East tour in the run-up to the long-overdue Syria peace talks that are expected to take place in the second half of November.

On Monday, Brahimi arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus to meet with the country’s leadership. Earlier, the Syrian government also criticized the envoy’s work.

Speaking to Lebanon’s Mayadeen TV channel, Bashar Assad accused Brahimi of overstepping the UN mandate and trying to talk him out of running for presidency in 2014.

BDST: 1747 HRS, OCT 29, 2013
RoR/RK