(CNN) — A Syrian diplomat who defected and joined the opposition has been “relieved of his duties,” authorities said Thursday, a day after he left his post and denounced the regime for killing civilians.
Nawaf al-Fares, the Syrian ambassador to Iraq, is the second high-profile Sunni official to break with the regime in a week. Manaf Tlas, a Republican Guard brigadier general and the son of a former defense minister, defected last week to protest the killings.
The move might be a sign that Sunni allies of the Alawite-dominated regime are displeased with the government’s fierce crackdown on an opposition that’s dominated by Sunnis.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said al-Fares went to the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, Iraqi state TV reported. The Qatari government has been sharply critical of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
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Al-Fares “made statements contrary to his job duty to defend the positions of the country and its issues, which requires legal accountability and discipline,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement said he “no longer has anything to do” with the Syrian Embassy in Baghdad or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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