Qatar hands Syrian embassy to opposition, death toll nears 70,000

Source : Al Akhbar English

statement Wednesday said that Qatar has handed the Syrian embassy building in Doha to the National Coalition, Syria's main opposition group.

"Qatar has acted faster than the Friends of Syria coalition," the opposition statement said, in reference to a string of Western and Arab states, along with Turkey, which support the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"The flag of the revolution will be raised above the building," the Syrian National Coalition added.

Speaking to AFP by phone, Haraki said the Qatari authorities had accepted his appointment.

"A formal decision has been made to accept my appointment as ambassador," he said.

"I will start work along with two other diplomats," said Haraki.

"Depending on whether they support the revolution, we will decide which former embassy staff members we will keep, and who we will lay off."

The National Coalition was formed in the Qatari capital on November 11.

A day later, Qatar and other Gulf countries recognized the group as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

And a week after that, the European Union followed suit and recognized the coalition.

The Coalition in November named ambassadors to Paris and London but neither France nor Britain have yet handed over embassy buildings to the opposition.

70,000 dead

The move came as Navi Pillay, human rights chief said 9,000 have died since the beginning of the year, bringing Syria's death toll to nearly 70,000.

Pillay said one immediate action the council can take is to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, which could investigate allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"This would send a clear message to both the government and the opposition that there will be consequences for their actions, and could have a very significant preventive effect," she said.

Russia to keep sending arms

Russia will continue deliveries of arms to Syrian President Bashar al- Assad and his armed forces, the head of the state weapons exporter said on Wednesday, despite the Middle Eastern country's civil war.

Russia supplied nearly $1 billion's worth of arms to Syria in 2011 and has long been an ally of Assad.

"We are continuing to carry out our obligations on contracts for the delivery of military hardware," Rosoboronexport director Anatoly Isaikin told a news conference.

(AFP, AP, Reuters, Al-Akhbar)