Category: Middle East
Syria: Syrian Democratic Council – A Statement for Public Opinion (08.05.2023)
The Syrian Democratic Council follows with great interest international and regional developments and their direct repercussions on the Syrian issue and the deep crisis that the Syrians are experiencing at the humanitarian level as a result of the deterioration of the security situation and the economic situation that cannot be recovered without a correct addressing for its causes, and in a way that establishes the rebuilding of state institutions according to national democratic mechanisms that secures the participation of all Syrians in managing the affairs of their country, especially that any attempt to address a disaster of this magnitude requires the participation of all Syrian citizens in rebuilding and repairing what was damaged by the war over a decade because the corruption has exhausted the structure of the state, and Syria has lost its best cadres, expertise and activities, the war has drained its economy and destroyed ties among Syrians.
The Syrian Democratic Council believes that most of the international efforts made with the aim of resolving the Syrian crisis have been thwarted as a result of the conflict on regional and international interests, and also as a result of not taking into account the supreme and fundamental interests of the Syrian people, which created the appropriate atmosphere for the regime to continue its rejection of ideas that would establish an effective national dialogue that leads to a democratic change, and the Syrian Democratic Council believes that the democratic issue in the country is still the main issue, and without it, Syria will not be able to recover and restructure its national institutions properly.
The Syrian Democratic Council welcomes any international movement, especially the Arab international interest in the Syrian issue, which was recently represented by the Jeddah Meeting that was on April 14th and the Amman Meeting that was on May 1st, the latest of which was the meeting of the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level headed by Egypt in its extraordinary session held on May 7th in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, that these steps take into account the tragedy of the Syrians, which can’t be ended without an integrated political process, so to achieve this, the active national Syrian parties must participate in the political process without any exclusion. The Council hopes that the Arab initiative will contribute in a real way to create conditions for activating the course of the political process in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254 in order to create the appropriate conditions for the safe return of refugees and not to risk jeopardizing their fate, so the Council confirms that it is ready to cooperate for that, especially on the refugee issue, and the Council supports the initiative of the Autonomous Administration of northeastern Syria announced on April 18th, which explained the possibility of receiving Syrian refugees, as the Council also supports what was mentioned in the previous statements about the need to combat drug trade across borders, and the Council believes that the effects of drug trade are not limited to the region and neighboring countries, but rather it is a deep national problem that has affected large segments of the Syrian youth, as the corruption of state institutions contributed to the spread of its trade in the areas of the Syrian government and the regions which are under the control of the factions affiliated with the Turkish occupation. The regions of northeastern Syria face serious pressure and challenge in combating drugs and attempts to promote them, which is a national priority par excellence that requires a radical reform of national institutions.
The Syrian Democratic Council has been and still is one of the advocates for restoring the Arab role in resolving the Syrian crisis in a way that is consistent and integrated with international efforts, and believing in the natural ties between Syria and the Arab world, as the Council believes that the Arab movement should constitute a real opportunity to exert maximum pressure to achieve a political resolution in a way that achieves the main principles mentioned in UN Resolution 2254, in a manner that meets the aspirations of the Syrians for democratic change.
In this context, the Council also calls on the national democratic opposition to work seriously and responsibly to unify its efforts to hold a national conference for the opposition that represents a new and different beginning based on purely national interest away from the regional interests that have contributed to the complexity of the Syrian crisis and created hatred among them.
Finally, the Syrian Democratic Council shows its full readiness to cooperate and support the political process, provided that it is represented by the active national parties, in a way that achieves the basic goals of the Syrians and ends the various negative effects of the crisis, thus making Syria a safe and stable country and a source of stability and peace throughout the region.
On May 8th, 2023
The Syrian Democratic Council
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