MOSCOW, November 2 (RIA Novosti) – The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) has received more than $40 million in financial assistance since its inception in October 2011, according to Arab media reports citing an SNC press release.
According to published data, the opposition group, currently locked into a bloody revolt against pro-government forces, has received about $5 million from the United Arab Emirates, $15 million from Qatar and about $20 million from Libya.
The report also found that about $29 million was spent on humanitarian assistance to refugees and to support the “revolutionary movement," while the rest was spent on “administrative support and communication.”
The SNC was established by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, several liberal and national opposition organizations, as well as independent dissidents. The Syrian Free Army (SNA) is the SNC’s armed wing.
The United States, which has called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, recently criticized the SNC for its intent to form a government-in-exile.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the group “can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition,” according to the State Department’s website, slamming SNC members who “have not been inside Syria for 20, 30, 40 years.”
The armed uprising against the Assad regime has dragged on since March 2011. According to UN estimates, about 35,000 people have died in the conflict.
