Syrian opposition says surprised by countries reconciling with Assad

RIYADH (Reuters) - Syria’s chief opposition negotiator said on Sunday he was surprised by countries rebuilding ties with the Syrian government and urged them to revisit their decision.

"We have no power to stop this reconciliation, we hope it is not for free," Nasr Hariri told reporters in Riyadh. "Bashar al-Assad will remain a war criminal even if thousands of leaders had a handshake with him."

The United Arab Emirates re-opened its embassy in Damascus last month and Bahrain said its embassy there and the Syrian diplomatic mission in Manama had been operating “without interruption”.

(Reporting By Marwa Rashad, writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi)