The Syrian opposition will name former prime minister Riad Hijab as the chief coordinator of an allied opposition body expected to head up future peace talks.

According to sources who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, Hijab, who defected from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government in 2012, was selected during a meeting in Riyadh.

The sources said that Hijab has secured 24 votes of a possible 34.

Riad Hijab will be head of Negotiation Committee which will negotiate with #Syria Gov delegation for political transition — Hassan Ridha (@sayed_ridha) December 17, 2015

Hijab, from the government-held Deir Ezzor area in east Syria, was appointed as a prime minister by Assad in June 2012 but defected less than two months later. At the time, Syria state-run television said that Hijab was sacked.

However, a statement given by Hijab's spokesman Mohammed al-Etri on his behalf to the Al Jazeera channel said that Hijab was now part of the "holy revolution" and described the Syrian government as a "murderous regime".