Syrian Opposition Leader Not Leaving Post

NPR | By Krishnadev Calamur

Published March 28, 2013 at 6:13 PM EDT

We told you over the weekend about the Syrian opposition leader who resigned in frustration, criticizing the international community for not doing enough to end the civil war in Syria. Turns out he's staying in his job.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday that Mouaz al-Khatib will stay in his job at until May. Khatib was elected president of the Syrian National Coalition for a six-month term last November.

"Our understanding is that he has now said that he will fulfill his responsibilities," Nuland said.

As NPR's Melisa Goh noted last Sunday, Khatib's resignation followed the selection of Ghassan Hitto, a U.S. citizen and activist, to be prime minister of an interim opposition government.

Krishnadev Calamur

Krishnadev Calamur is NPR's deputy Washington editor. In this role, he helps oversee planning of the Washington desk's news coverage. He also edits NPR's Supreme Court coverage. Previously, Calamur was an editor and staff writer at The Atlantic. This is his second stint at NPR, having previously worked on NPR's website from 2008-15. Calamur received an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri.

See stories by Krishnadev Calamur

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