So called FSA refuses to recognize American Ghassan Hitto as opposition PM

The main militant group operating in Syria, the terrorist Free Syrian Army, has refused to recognize Ghassan Hitto as prime minister of the so-called opposition interim government.

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) announced on Sunday that Hitto was forced on the National Coalition, rather than being chosen by consensus, therefore the group does not recognize him as opposition prime minister, AFP reported.

“We in the Free Syrian Army do not recognize Ghassan Hitto as prime minister because the (main opposition) National Coalition did not reach a consensus,” during the March 18 vote, said FSA political and media coordinator Louay Muqdad.

On Saturday, FSA chief of staff, Selim Idriss, said that “the Free Syrian Army, in all its groups and revolutionary entities, conditions its support and cooperation with a prime minister on consensus” among the opposition.

Hitto, a naturalized American citizen, won an election in Istanbul after 35 out of 49 coalition members voted for him following some 14 hours of discussion in a closed meeting.

But several key members of the coalition, including official spokesman Walid al-Bunni, walked out of the meeting and boycotted the vote. About 12 other top coalition members also suspended their membership in the opposition body after Hitto was elected, describing the election result as illegitimate.

Some reports say the Muslim Brotherhood, a powerful bloc in Syria’s opposition coalition, had imposed Hitto as its candidate of choice in the election.