Syrian Prime Minister sacked, defects

Syrian Prime Minister sacked – state TV

Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab has been sacked, state TV reported. His current whereabouts are unknown, and there are conflicting reports as to whether he has fled the country.

Hijab, Syria's former Minister of Agriculture, was appointed Prime Minister in June following parliamentary elections in the country.

The ex-Prime Minister is currently in Jordan, where he fled with his family, Reuters cited a Jordanian official as saying.

Hijab's former spokesperson Muhammad el-Etri confirmed the report. The former Prime Minister has defected from the Syrian government and traveled to Jordan with ten family members, where he will join the Syrian opposition forces, el-Etri told Al-Jazeera.

However, Jordanian Minister of Information Samih al-Maaytah denied that Hijab is in the country.

Meanwhile, Al-Arabiya reported that the defected premier would travel to Qatar.

Source and full story: Russia Today, 6 August 2012

Syria Prime Minister Riad Hijab defects

Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab has defected from President Bashar al-Assad's government to join "the revolution", his spokesman says.

Mr Hijab was appointed less than two months ago and his departure is the highest-profile defection since the uprising began in March 2011.

State-run TV said he had been sacked.

Riad Hijab, who is said to have fled with his family, is a Sunni Muslim from the Deir al-Zour area of eastern Syria which has been caught up in the revolt.

Early reports said Mr Hijab had defected to Jordan, but Jordanian state TV later denied this. By Monday afternoon, Mr Hijab's whereabouts were still unknown.

Source and full piece: BBC News, 6 August 2012