Syria’s National Dialogue, a key second within the nation’s political transition after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December, concluded on Tuesday.
A press release delivered on the finish of the one-day convention, which was solely introduced on Sunday and gave many potential contributors little time to organize for, paved the way in which for a brand new structure to be drafted and emphasised the significance of freedom of expression and human rights.
Among the many attendees was Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who had earlier known as for Syrians “to face united and hand in hand to heal the injuries and wash away the pains after a long time of dictatorship”.
Listed below are three key takeaways from the convention:
What’s going to Syria’s new structure be?
The character of Syria’s revolution – a whole rejection of the decades-long rule of the al-Assad household and the Baath social gathering – means a brand new structure was anticipated.
The character of that structure will reveal lots about Syria’s future, notably as doubts stay amongst many over al-Sharaa’s intentions, in gentle of his former affiliation with al-Qaeda.
Al-Sharaa has been fast to distance himself from his previous and has largely averted divisive rhetoric.
On the Dialogue, delegates had been divided amongst working teams, with every specializing in a unique matter, together with the structure, freedoms, the economic system and civil society.
Houda Atassi, a member of the Preparatory Committee for the Nationwide Dialogue who learn the assertion on the conclusion of the convention, mentioned the committee had known as for a “momentary constitutional declaration” and a “momentary legislative council” to assist decide the nation’s future.
The draft structure ought to obtain “a stability between authorities, establishing justice, freedom, and equality, and laying the inspiration for a state of regulation and establishments”, the total assertion mentioned.
Nonetheless, no different particulars got, and the discussions within the workshop had been confidential, leaving the query of how the structure would take form nonetheless lingering, solely days earlier than a beforehand declared March 1 deadline for a brand new transitional authorities to take energy.
Sovereignty and Israel’s actions
The closing assertion strongly rejected Israel’s actions in Syria because the overthrow of al-Assad, calling them a “blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian state”.
Israel has moved its forces right into a buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights, which is itself Syrian territory illegally occupied by Israel. Israel has additionally taken management of areas exterior of the buffer zone, together with Mount Hermon, and has carried out repeated bombing raids on navy websites, together with assaults in a single day on Tuesday.
The Nationwide Dialogue known as for the “quick and unconditional withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Syria.
It rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s menace that his nation would not allow Syrian military forces to be current in southern Syria.
The convention additionally opposed Israel’s makes an attempt to stoke sectarian tensions by indicating it was keen to guard Syria’s minority Druze neighborhood, a lot of whom dwell within the south.
The committee known as for “unity of the Syrian Arab Republic” and “sovereignty over its whole territory, rejecting any type of fragmentation, division, or ceding any a part of the homeland”.
Syria’s new authorities has been in discussions with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led group that controls giant components of northeastern Syria.
The US-backed SDF has been hesitant to give up its arms and has expressed a want for some autonomous rule within the areas it controls, which the Syrian authorities rejects.
Rights and freedoms
The closing assertion additionally known as for “supporting the function of ladies in all fields” and “rejecting all types of discrimination based mostly on race, faith, or sect”.
It additionally rejected requires ethnic or non secular quotas in authorities – one thing al-Sharaa and different ministers have beforehand indicated their opposition to.
The place of ladies within the new authorities has been unclear after statements from sure ministers. As an example, Aisha al-Dibs, the pinnacle of the Ladies’s Affairs Workplace within the Syrian caretaker authorities, had beforehand mentioned in December that ladies would play a key function however wouldn’t “transcend the priorities of their God-given nature”, and would know “their academic function within the household”.
Syria’s Overseas Minister Asaad al-Shaibani was fast to push again in opposition to these statements on the time, saying that the brand new authorities “consider within the lively function of ladies inside society”.
The Dialogue’s closing assertion known as for the safety of freedoms, together with the liberty of opinion and expression. This may mark a profound distinction from the earlier regime, underneath which Syrians had been usually jailed for his or her speech.
One other rights problem referred to within the closing assertion was attaining transitional justice and holding “these answerable for crimes” accountable, whereas “rejecting all types of violence, incitement, and revenge”. Studies have emerged in latest weeks of revenge assaults in opposition to individuals related to the al-Assad regime in Homs and different components of the nation.
Was the Nationwide Dialogue put collectively too rapidly?
Confusion surrounded the Nationwide Dialogue earlier than it started, with many invites despatched out on the final minute.
Opposition politician George Sabra posted on social media that he had obtained an invite on February 23, two days earlier than the occasion, to be current in Damascus. Sabra lives in exile in France and mentioned he couldn’t journey to Syria in time.
Critics say the character of the announcement of the Nationwide Dialogue is a part of a wider sample that has nervous Syrians pushing for democratic pluralism, with little element offered as to the timeline for elections and the way free the brand new Syria might be.
There had been doubts over the talks on account of what critics have labelled an absence of illustration within the preparatory committee.
However even with the sudden announcement of the date of the Nationwide Dialogue, roughly 600 Syrians attended the talks, and lots of consider that it is a vital step on the way in which to elections and a brand new Syria, free from a long time of dictatorship.
