The newly elected leader of the opposition umbrella group Syrian National Council's (SNC) on Monday urged President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

Anatolia quoted the new leader, Abdulbaset Sieda, as saying that Assad must leave power and hand it over to the vice president, who was believed not to have been involved in the massacre in the country.

Sieda said the Syrian government is losing control on the unrest-torn country day by day. "Everyone considers that Syria has been out of control. This will affect not only Syria but also Lebanon and the Middle East. It will also affect Turkey."

The 56-year-old Kurd was chosen to head the Istanbul-based SNC over the weekend. He said his appointment showed the election did not discriminate against anyone, ethnically or religiously.

According to Sieda, the Syrian opposition will hold a meeting in Istanbul on June 15-16 to discuss a post-Assad period.

Sieda also expressed hope that the Free Syrian Army, a group of army defectors, will work to protect the Syrian people from the crackdown by the leadership.