Abdulbaset Sieda ( ; ar, عبد الباسط سيدا /

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: ''Abd al-Bāsiṭ Sīdā''; ku, Ebdilbasit Seyda; born 22 June 1956) is a Kurdish-Syrian academic and politician. He is the former President of the Syrian National Council (SNC), succeeding

Burhan Ghalioun Burhan Ghalioun ( ar, برهان غليون, Burhān Ghalyūn; born 11 February 1945 in Homs, Syria) is a French- Syrian professor of sociology at the Université de Paris III Sorbonne University in Paris, and the first chairman of the Syrian ...

in June 2012. He has written a number of books on the

Kurds in Syria The Kurdish population of Syria ( ar, كرد سورية) is the country's largest ethnic minority, usually estimated at around 10% of the Syrian population Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria, constituting around 10 per cent of th ...

and his academic work specializes in ancient civilizations.

Background

Sieda was born in

Amuda Amuda ( ar, عَامُودَا, ʿĀmūdā, ku, ئاموودێ, Amûdê) is a town in Al Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria close to the Syria–Turkey border. As a result of the ongoing civil war, Amuda is currently under the civil co ...

, a town populated by Kurds in

Al-Hasakah Governorate Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, syc, ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܚܣܟܗ, Huparkiyo d'Ḥasake, also known as syc, ܓܙܪܬܐ, Gozarto) is one of the fourteen governorates (pro ...

, Syria.Will Syria opposition group choose a Kurd as leader?
, '' Middle East Online'', 9 June 2012 He obtained a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from the

University of Damascus The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...

and was a university professor in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

from 1991 to 1994. He has written a number of books on the

. After Libya he went into exile to Sweden and specialized in the study of ancient civilizations. He joined the SNC in 2011 as an independent activist (not a member of a political party) and was elected to the executive. He was chosen as the head of its human rights department. In June 2012 he was the consensus candidate for the three-month presidency of the SNC, succeeding

, who had headed it since it was formed in 2011. SNC officials described him as an honest and conciliatory figure who could unite the SNC's factions and appeal to ethnic and religious minorities in Syria who fear the opposition. After his election he said his main task was to expand and reform the SNC, making it more inclusive and democratic. Within Syria, he said he wanted to strengthen links with the Free Syrian Army, a loose coalition of army defectors. He called on the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

to pass a resolution under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which allows for the use of force. However, Kurdish activists and politicians in his native province distanced themselves from him. Anti-government protests after his election raised banners saying he did not represent him because he opposed federalism. A spokesman of the Kurdish Youth Movement—the largest youth movement in the Kurdish areas of Syria and a component of the main Kurdish opposition

Kurdish National Council The Kurdish National Council (KNC, , ENKS; ar, المجلس الوطني الكوردي ''al-Majlis al-Waṭaniyy Al-Kurdi'') is a Syrian Kurdish political party. While the KNC had initially more international support than the ruling Democra ...

—said Sieda "joined the ranks of the enemies of Kurdish people" when he refused to walk out of the SNC in March when the other Kurdish parties left. A representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria accused him of "following the Turkish agenda" and said he "represents only himself".Kurds Wary of New Syrian Opposition Leader
, '' Rudaw (newspaper)'', 12 June 2012

Selected publications

References

External links

Sieda's profile
at the SNC's official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sieda, Abdulbaset 1956 births Living people People from Qamishli District Syrian Kurdish politicians Syrian National Council members Damascus University alumni Syrian emigrants to Sweden National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces members