Syrian Opp refuses to be part of interim setup

The opposition has not yet received the details of the Annan proposal and cannot reply to it, SNC spokesman George Sabra told AFP by telephone.But its firm position remains that the opposition would not participate in any political project unless Bashar al-Assad is removed from power.Sabra said the opposition would discuss the details and objectives of Annans proposal before taking an official position, but stressed that the basic principle was shared by all partisans of the Syrian opposition.The opposition is to meet in Cairo on July 2 in a bid to develop a common vision for the interim period and the future of Syria, Sabra said.We stand with our people in this great confrontation, he said, adding that it is the UN Security Council which must assume responsibility for the continuing violence after the regime blocked all Arab and international plans calling for a solution.They (Western governments) must realise that people are being slaughtered every day, he added.The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, an influential component of the SNC, criticised the Annan proposal, calling it absurd in light of the regimes continued crackdown.There is no more time for absurd initiatives, a Brotherhood statement read.To form a national unity government against the backdrop of murder, arrests and torture would be to delude ourselves and play the regimes game.Annan has thus far failed to provide disaster relief or assistance to the needy, not even a bottle of milk or medication, yet today he speaks of forming a national unity government between the supporters of Bashar al-Assad and the opposition.According to a UN diplomat, the Annan plan proposes to bring together supporters of the Damascus regime and opposition members in a transitional government from which Assad could be excluded.