Head of the Syrian Negotiations Commission, Nasr Al-Hariri, stressed that the drafting of a new constitution alone will not resolve the Syrian conflict. He pointed to the need to create the appropriate environment that makes the Syrian citizen feel real, tangible change.
In an interview with the Anadolu news agency, Hariri stressed that “we cannot go to elections without a safe, neutral environment, provided by a Transitional Governing Body with full powers under a new constitution so that citizens can feel real change and that their voices can make a change.”
Hariri pointed out that the Syrian opposition will work with the United Nations to highlight the issue of detainees and activate it in parallel with the launch of the Constitutional Committee. The Syrian opposition will also press for discussing the rest of the issues related to UN resolution 2254, which is “credible governance in the first basket, the constitution in the second basket, and elections in the basket third.”
Hariri added that the Syrian people must see something tangible and that they are not asking for anything that is impossible outside the law. He pointed out that the humanitarian issues must not be subject to negotiation, especially the release of detainees.
Moreover, Hariri said that the opening session of the work of the Constitutional Committee will be a UN declaration for the start the work of the drafting committee. He said that the meeting of the expanded group may continue for several days during which there will be public discussions. The small group will then continue its work and draw up a clear agenda to discuss the various constitutional issues and provisions.
“We believe in and work for a political solution. We do not want and there cannot be a military solution, but the regime and its backers insist on pursuing a military solution. Any progress in the political and constitutional processes and any possibility of reaching a solution need three layers of consensus, Syrian-Syrian, regional and international consensus.” (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
