Syria’s Nationwide 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 individuals 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 referred to as for Syrians “to face united and hand in hand to heal the injuries and wash away the pains after many years of dictatorship”.
Listed below are three key takeaways from the convention:
What is 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 occasion – means a brand new structure was anticipated.
The character of that structure will reveal rather a lot about Syria’s future, significantly as doubts stay amongst many over al-Sharaa’s intentions, in mild of his former affiliation with al-Qaeda.
Al-Sharaa has been fast to distance himself from his previous and has largely prevented divisive rhetoric.
On the Dialogue, delegates had been divided amongst working teams, with every specializing in a special subject, 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 referred to as for a “non permanent constitutional declaration” and a “non permanent legislative council” to assist decide the nation’s future.
The draft structure ought to obtain “a steadiness 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 for the reason that 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 outdoors of the buffer zone, together with Mount Hermon, and has performed repeated bombing raids on navy websites, together with assaults in a single day on Tuesday.
The Nationwide Dialogue referred to as for the “rapid and unconditional withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Syria.
It rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s risk that his nation wouldn’t permit Syrian navy 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 group, lots of whom dwell within the south.
The committee referred to as for “unity of the Syrian Arab Republic” and “sovereignty over its total 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 need for some autonomous rule within the areas it controls, which the Syrian authorities rejects.
Rights and freedoms
The closing assertion additionally referred to as for “supporting the position of ladies in all fields” and “rejecting all types of discrimination primarily based 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 illustration, Aisha al-Dibs, the top of the Ladies’s Affairs Workplace within the Syrian caretaker authorities, had beforehand mentioned in December that ladies would play a key position however wouldn’t “transcend the priorities of their God-given nature”, and would know “their academic position within the household”.
Syria’s Overseas Minister Asaad al-Shaibani was fast to push again towards these statements on the time, saying that the brand new authorities “consider within the energetic position of ladies inside society”.
The Dialogue’s closing assertion referred to as for the safety of freedoms, together with the liberty of opinion and expression. This may mark a profound distinction from the earlier regime, below which Syrians had been recurrently jailed for his or her speech.
One other rights situation referred to within the closing assertion was reaching transitional justice and holding “these chargeable for crimes” accountable, whereas “rejecting all types of violence, incitement, and revenge”. Stories have emerged in current weeks of revenge assaults towards folks 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 fearful Syrians pushing for democratic pluralism, with little element supplied as to the timeline for elections and the way free the brand new Syria will probably be.
There had been doubts over the talks attributable to what critics have labelled a scarcity 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 plenty of consider that it is a crucial step on the way in which to elections and a brand new Syria, free from many years of dictatorship.
