Syria dialogue conference a ‘historic opportunity’, Sharaa says

The interim president of Syria told a national dialogue conference that the country has a “historic” opportunity to rebuild after Bashar al -Assad’s overthrow.

Ahmed Al -Sharra also emphasized the need of armed groups to integrate into the army and the state’s weapons monopoly, saying, “The force of Syria lies in its unity.”

600 delegates were asked to provide recommendations on transitional justice, the economy, the new constitution and other issues to direct a new transitional government.

But there was criticism that this process was accelerated, and the Kurdish militia alliance and the independent administration that controls northeastern Syria were invited.

The Assad family ruled Syria for more than 50 years with an iron grip, as Bashar became president in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez.

In 2011, Bashar brutally crushed a peaceful uprising in support of democracy, which led to a devastating civil war in which more than 600,000 people were killed and 12 million were forced to flee their homes.

On December 8, he fled to Russia after a rebel alliance led by the Shaya Islamic Group, Haya Tarr al -Sham (HTS) from northwestern Syria and entered Damascus in just 12 days.

Seven weeks later, Shara was appointed head of the “transitional period” by his fellow rebel leaders. They also announced the abolition of the 2012 constitution, the dissolution of Parliament, the army, and the security services, and the integration of all rebel groups in the new state institutions that replace them.

Sharaa promised to hold a national dialogue conference to discuss the future of Syria, which he said will be followed by a “constitutional declaration” for service during the transfer.

“Syria has liberated itself on its own, and it suits it to build itself on its own,” said Shara in a speech at the National Dialogue Conference in Damascus on Tuesday.

“What we live today is an exceptional, historical and rare opportunity. We must benefit from every moment of it to serve the interests of our people and our country.”

The organizing committee said that six working groups will be formed to discuss the system of transitional justice, the new constitution, reform and build state institutions, personal freedoms, the role of civil society, and the future economic model of the country.

The groups will agree to non -binding recommendations, which will be submitted to the new transitional government that is scheduled to take power on Saturday and help form the constitutional declaration, according to the committee.

Shara said that the Transitional Justice Authority will soon be “to restore people’s rights” and start adhering to the accountability of those who committed crimes against the Syrians during the civil war.

He also reported to emphasize that non -governmental armed groups had to disarm and surrender their lands.

He said, “The unit of weapons and its monopoly by the state is not a luxury, but a duty and a commitment,” he said. “Syria is indivisible; it is complete complete, and its power lies in its unity.”

The interim government forces control the largest city in Syria, but large parts of the country are still being held by armed groups.

It includes the Syrian democratic forces led by the Kurdish (SDF), a coalition of the US -backed militias, which control most of the northeast and act as armed forces of the independent administration of North and Eastern Syria (ANES).

SDF has so far refused to integrate its forces into the new Syrian army, although negotiations may have occurred in recent weeks.

The conference organizers said that SDF and ANES were not invited because of this refusal, and the Kurds will be represented in Damascus even if it was not.

However, SDF spokesman Fergdi Shami told Agence France -Presse that “the exclusion of SDF and the large sections of the Syrian society confirms that the conference is working to satisfy the outside world and not search for a better future.”

Thirty -five parties in Anels also criticized what they claimed to be the “symbolic representation” of the Kurds and other minorities, saying that such events “have no meaning and no value, and will not contribute to finding real solutions to the country’s continuous crisis.”

“It is important that all groups are involved.”

“We need a dialogue with all Syrian groups, with all Syrian forces, especially those who have a great impact on the ground. Without this, Syria will face great difficulty in maintaining itself together,” he said.

The results of the conference will be closely monitored by the international community, which called for a comprehensive political process representing many ethnic and religious societies in the country.

During the civil war, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union imposed a wide range of sanctions on Syria targeting the Assad government and its allies in response to the atrocities committed during the civil war.

They have filed some sanctions that paralyzed the Syrian economy since the fall of Assad, but they have taken more steps based on the new leaders of Syria who retain the promises of respect for minority rights and move towards democracy.

On Monday, the European Union announced that it suspends sanctions on the energy, transportation and banking sectors to facilitate humanitarian assistance and reconstruction.

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Al -Shabani welcomed this decision, but criticized international sanctions that are still in a speech at the National Dialogue Conference.

“These penalties are illegal and are not based on any legal or ethical foundations,” he said. “It is used as a way to pressure the will of the Syrian people.”

HTS, a precedent subsidiary company, is subject to separate sanctions because it is still prohibited as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom.