Qatar hands Syrian embassy in Doha to opposition coalition

The Qatar government has handed the Syrian embassy building in Doha to groups opposing the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad. Qatar, as do other Gulf Cooperation Countries, now recognises the Syrian National Coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Coalition said that the Qatari authorities decided to hand over the embassy in Doha to Nizar Al-Haraki after his appointment as its ambassador to the Gulf state.

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“The Secretary General and President of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces have sent their congratulations to Mr Al-Haraki for having his nomination as ambassador agreed by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the statement said.

The new ambassador said that one of his first tasks will be to help resolve problems related to the renewal of passports for Syrian citizens living and working in Qatar.

Ambassador Al-Haraki was arrested “several times” by the Assad government in Damascus for arranging opposition conferences inside Syria and in other countries. The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces which he now represents was formed on 11 November, 2011 in Doha, with Ahmed Ma`az Khatib as its head. The Coalition includes the majority of opposition groups which are against the regime of Bashar Al-Assad.