Nawaf al-Fares

[2][3] Fares was a veteran of Assad's rule and held senior positions as a leading member of Syria's diplomatic corps under the late president Hafez al-Assad.

[2] He served as high-ranking official of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in Deir al Zour province.

[12] On 12 July 2012, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told reporters in Paris that Nawaf al Fares is in Qatar.

"[14] In his 15 July 2012 CNN interview, Fares said that he had tried to convince the Syrian government to change its approach towards the people and that foreign military intervention was needed to end the chaos in Syria.

[9] His family is reported to partly be rooted in the Sunni tribe of Iraq's Anbar Province, which extends to Syria's eastern desert.