(Istanbul) – The Syrian National Council, elected Kurdish activist Abdelbasset Sida as its leader at a meeting in Istanbul, a council statement said. Sida, 56-year-old succeeds Burhan Ghalioun, a liberal opposition figure who had presided over the council since it was formed in August of last year.
Opposition sources said the election of Sida could help enlist more Kurds, who number one million out of Syria’s 21 million population, behind the 15-month uprising.
