Spokesman for the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) Salem al-Meslet said that a true solution in Syria must begin with forming a transitional governing body (TGB) with full powers and without Assad.
In an interview with the Anadolu Agency on Thursday, Meslet stressed that forming a TGB should take precedence over any discussions on the constitution. “Discussing drafting a new constitution or amending the current constitution during the current round of Geneva talks will be futile unless it is part of a political transition.”
“The TGB, which will include regime figures whose hands are not stained with the blood of the Syrian people and the opposition, will call for holding a general national conference from which a constituent assembly will emerge. This assembly will be responsible for drawing up a new constitution,” Meslet added.
The responsibility for preparing the constitution lies solely with Syrians. Nobody else has the right to draft it, nor can outside parties discuss it.”
Meslet pointed out that “the opposition’s main goal for now is to end the absolute nightmare affecting Syria by ending the bloodshed and ensuring the return of the displaced and the refugees.” The constitution can be discussed after Syrians have returned home, he added.
“The Syrian people deserve a constitution that guarantees the rights of all their components, but what is more important now is initiating a political transition that ends the dictatorship and terrorism, which has thrived under the auspices of the Assad and Iranian regimes.”
Meslet made it clear that “the current round of Geneva talks must focus on discussing political transition, and discussing anything else is a waste of time. This will be the third round so far, so it is time to begin a serious discussion of the formation of the TGB with full powers. The opposition has already announced it is ready to begin this discussion as the opposition’s negotiating delegation has already outlined its vision for the transitional period.”
Meslet maintained that the opposition has come to Geneva “to see a transitional period being instated, and how it will be set in motion. The Assad regime, however, is procrastinating and wasting time as it does not want the talks to bring about real change in Syria.”
Meslet declined to confirm there is Plan B in case negotiations failed. However, he said: “We do not want to talk about Plan B. We are here in Geneva to discuss Plan A. We hope a political solution in Syria sees light. However, if we reach an impasse, then I suppose revolutionaries on the ground will have a say on that. We also hope that friendly countries will stand by the Syrian people to the end.” (Source: Syrian Coalition + Anadolu Agency)
