Fabius affirms support to new Syrian National Coalition leader

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Thursday affirmed the support of France for the newly-elected president of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assi Al-Jarba. In a telephone conversation earlier this morning Fabius congratulated the new SNC chief on his election and he also congratulated the three vice-presidents and other leading members of the Coalition. There are now 114 participants at the "top table" of the SNC, including the addition of 51 new members in the recent reforms that aimed to expand the scope of the Coalition to encompass a broad swath of opposition factions and movements. "At a time when the repression by the regime is growing, notably in Homs, (Fabius) expressed the determination of France to pursue its backing for the Syrian National Coalition as well as for the joint high command overseen by Selim Idriss," French spokesman Philippe Lalliot said in a statement. Idriss is in charge of military forces controlled on the ground by the SNC and is close to some Western positions on how to prosecute the campaign in Syria. Fabius on Thursday also supported an urgent call for a cease-fire by Al-Jarba, a call rejected so far by the forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad. The SNC leader, who is backed by Saudi Arabia and several other Arab states, called on Al-Assad to implement a cease-fire for the Holy Month of Ramadan and at a time when the besieged city of Homs is under relentless pounding by Syrian regime planes and artillery.