One week after its first conference in London, the National Salvation Front (NSF) saw two members withdraw from its ranks (Arabic. Elaph, 6/11/06).
Abdel Hamid Khodr, the secretary general of the opposition Movement of Freedom and National Solidarity in Syria, released a statement in which he announced his withdrawal from the Front (Arabic. tsdp.org, 6/9/06). Khodr revealed his objection to being named to the Front's Central Committee despite his refusal to accept the nomination (Arabic. Save Syria).
He asked that his name be removed, stating that he did not participate in the voting. Khodr criticized what he deemed "undemocratic practices" and stressed the need for "highly transparent democratic means if authoritarianism was to be defeated." He added that he would soon detail the reasons that led him to join the NSF as well as those that led him to withdraw his membership.
The Syrian National Democratic Gathering (TAWAD) had also announced its withdrawal (Arabic. UPI via tsdp.org, 6/7/06). The Gathering's Vienna-based coordinator, Marwan Hammoud, told UPI there were no grounds to continue working with the NSF any longer. Hammoud's reasons appear to be similar to Khodr's, having to do with the Front's Central Committee and disagreement over how its members were elected.
For its part, the temporary committee of the Damascus Declaration, in a statement by one of its members, Hasan Abdel Azim, reiterated its independence from the NSF, adding that "no coordination, talks, or relation exist between the two."