of the UAR, Bitar did not join the reconstituted Syrian Regional Branch of the Ba'ath Party until after the 8 March 1963 Syrian coup d'état. Because of this, Aflaq became the unquestionable leader of the Ba'ath Party. Terms as Prime Minister First term First cabinet: 9 March – 11 May 1963 Bitar's first cabinet was appointed by the National Council for the Revolutionary Command (NCRC) on 9 March 1963 in the aftermath of the 1963 Syrian coup d'état. Nine of the twenty cabinet members were Ba'athists. All vital ministries except the defense ministrywhich was headed by independent Nasserite General Muhammad al-Sufiwere given to Ba'athists. The Ba'athist–Nasserite coalition government was unstable and based upon power politics rather than any sort of allegiance. Bitar and Aflaq sought to gain popular legitimacy among the Syrian people and viewed the coalition government as a means towards gaining the blessings of Nasser, who was still popular in Syria. Many members wanted to turn the Ba'ath into a Syria-focused party and did not care about Nasser's position towards Syria. This faction later became known as the "Regionalists" ("Qutriyyin"). Bitar was also appointed foreign affairs minister. He represented Syria at the Egyptian–Syrian–Iraqi unity negotiations of March–April 1963. In the first round of negotiations, which lasted until 19 March when Bitar and Aflaq joined in, the Ba'ath Party was represented by Abd al-Karim Zuhurthe economy minister. Nasser treated them badly during the negotiations, and Bitar and Aflaq moved closer to the position of the Regionalists. Nasser would only resume negotiations if the Ba'ath Party made concessions to the Nasserites in Syria, which the Ba'athists refused to do. The Nasserite cabinet members of the United Arab Front, Nihad al-Qasim, the deputy prime minister and justice minister, and Abd al-Wahhab Hawmad, the finance minister, resigned in protest because of the Ba'ath Party's position on the issue. Propaganda campaigns by both Ba'athist and Nasserite forces ensued in Syria. Bitar and Lu'ay al-Atassi, the NCRC chairman, sharply rebuked the Nasserites. The Ba'ath Party purged several pro-Egyptian officers from the military between 28 April and 2 May. After the signing of the Federal Union Agreement of 17 April, the Nasserites demanding more power for themselves in the political system. Both parties were averse to power-sharing but the Nasserites were outmaneuvered following the purge of their supporters in the officer corps, which ended their struggle for control over Syria. The Military Committee was adamantly