ALEPPO, Syria
The bitter row between the ranks of Syrian opposition, which erupted after the ouster of former Free Syrian Army chief Salim Idriss two weeks ago, has been resolved, according to information obtained by AA on Thursday.
In mid-February, the Free Syrian Army’s ground commanders, loyal to Idriss, rejected the appointment of a new chief, saying they would only take orders from Idriss.
The two sides of the dispute, - the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and the Free Syrian Army ground commanders - sat on the same table Wednesday and resolved the conflict.
According to the deal reached, the defense minister of the interim government, Assad al-Mustafa, resigned from his post.
Meanwhile, a colonel from the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army told AA that the council has not ratified the deal yet.
Colonel Qasim Sadaddin said that it is only in the council's authority to remove or appoint a defense minister.
On February 17, the council discharged Idriss and appointed veteran field commander Abdullah al-Bashir to the post.
The council cited the ineffectiveness of the general staff in the past few months as the reason for Idriss' dismissal.
The army split over the ouster of Idriss, who rejected his dismissal and said ground commanders intended to cut their relations with the interim defense minister, Assad al-Mustafa.
The Free Syrian Army is the main armed opposition group in Syria fighting to topple the country's president, Bashar al-Assad.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
