New SNC leader has Saudi links


Issue 974 - 18 Jul 2014 | 2 minute read

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) elected a new president to succeed Ahmad Jarba on 9 July, in the latest effort to inject momentum into an increasingly marginalised opposition. Hadi Al-Bahra is viewed as a smoother operator than Saudi-backed Jarba, who had served the maximum two six-month terms. While Jarba’s rural tribal connections (as a member of the cross-border Shammar tribe) worked well for the SNC’s chief funder Saudi Arabia, Bahra is viewed as the better diplomat; as head of the SNC’s Geneva peace talks negotiating team, he is also well known internationally.

Want to read more?

Subscribe to Gulf States Newsletter

View subscription options

Join our community

Sign up for an account to gain:

  • Set up news alerts on the countries and sectors that matter to you.
  • Free access to newsletter articles under 100 words.
  • Free access to GSN View articles articles.


View a selection of Free articles

Explore subscription options

Follow us on Google News