NCF Member and member of the Syrian opposition, Mohamed Al Ghabra forwards this message from his friends infuriated by the fourth round of Constitutional discussions in Geneva this week:
- The fourth round failed because it missed a new opportunity granted by the United Nations, which naturally means prolonging the suffering of the Syrian people, and a terrible deterioration for the worse.
- 45 Syrians met in Geneva (the small-constitutional committee), and they were unable to help their people and their homeland to stop the inhumane degradation and fall into the abyss, while some of them thought that they grasp the embers of national principles and values. And accuse others of being paid in dollars, riyals and dirhams.
- Others think they are defending freedom, and democracy, accusing the first team of war crimes, crimes against humanity, barrel bombs and chemical attack, while the third party adheres to the issues of accountability, punishment, prisons, detention centers and the forcibly disappeared.
- Most of these 45 do not belong to the overwhelming majority of the Syrian society, and they enjoy comfortable living conditions that enable them to have food, drink, treatment and warmth on winter nights. So, time means nothing for them.
-90 percent of the time was wasted delving into topics, discussions and accusations that had nothing to do with the mission for which the negotiating delegation met.
- The formulation of the supreme law starts from the basic rules for the form of the state, the system of government, and the form of government, and it organizes public authorities in terms of composition, jurisdiction, relations between authorities, the limits of each of them, duties and basic rights of individuals and groups, and establishes guarantees for them vis-à-vis authority.
- What is the reason for returning to the atmosphere of accusations and counter accusations, and the relentless pursuit of what divides and does not combine, and what widens the gap and does not try to bridge it?
- The civil society delegation should play the primary role in mediating between the government and opposition delegations, inspiring the spirit of national reconciliation, and assisting the UN mission in reaching a consensus between the two delegations.
- There are one or more parties who are delusional think that they can solve the problems apart from Security Council Resolution 2254.
- The Russian position is clear and principled and is based on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254, which clearly states the importance of preserving the Syrian state and its territorial integrity.
- There is no validity to the media skepticism and misinformation campaigns by multiple parties that have reached the point of spreading what they called a Russian desire to exploit the difficult Syrian situation to play the role of mediator in favor of Israel, to force Damascus to sign a normalization agreement with it.
- The process of shuffling the cards is taking place - with great regret - in full swing, with the participation of forces in Damascus and opposition parties, which are concerned only with preserving their interests, and have nothing to do with the supreme national interest or the interests of the great majority of the Syrian people.
- It seems that the coming days indicate that differences will be exacerbated in the ranks of the Syrian opposition, which will bear its consequences for sure of the status of the Constitutional Committee and the tasks entrusted to it.
- The leadership in Damascus, who is the main responsible for everything related to Syria and its people, should take the initiative to assume its responsibilities befo
Reflections and observations from William Morris, Secretary General of the Next Century Foundation