It is no surprise to anyone that the sectarian, ethnic, and social conflicts have an effect on the unity of people. There are many examples of external forces taking advantage of these conflicts by undermining social achievements in these countries. The social fabric of Syria has been severely damaged due to the vicious crimes committed by the regime and its thugs. This has led to increased social instability and opened the door for acts of revenge, retaliation, displacement, and demolition on a large scale. In addition to the war raging in the country, instances of extremism have risen amongst young people, which has caused serious divisions in the community and leads to long lasting bitter disputes.
For this reason it is a priority at this time to build a regulatory and intellectual framework allowing for the creation of an expanded social movement in all Syrian governorates before and after the fall of the regime. Therefore, any possible divisions and adverse effects on Syrian society will be avoided – this what we mean by ‘national peace’. Achieving this would allow Syrians to build a state, treating the large scale destruction of their cities and villages, and acknowledging that participation in society and peaceful society are required to fulfil these needs. Achieving an acceptable level of national peace will confront a wall of resistance from enemies inside and outside the country that try to exploit conflicts for their own interests.
Therefore, the Syrian Coalition established the Syrian Council for National Peace uniting the Local Councils for National Peace from all the Syrian governorates under one umbrella. This is a daunting task as maintaining national peace in a country torn apart by a regime is a very difficult task. However, concerted effort, teamwork, and organization and operating on the basis of seeking the public interest will help us achieve our goals.
The initiative of the National Peace Council is an open invitation to every Syrian concerned for his homeland and country so that they may come forward and help hand in hand with Syrians to build the new free invincible Syria.
The Syrian people are known for their chivalry, goodness, and love for others and this will show God Willing in the coming days.
Goals of the National Peace Council:
The National Peace Council is an institution of the Syrian Coalition. The Syrian Council’s members were chosen from the Coalition’s General Assembly. This individuals activities and business contribute to the achievement of National Peace in Syria and achieving the following goals:
- Working to establish national peace in Syria.
- Administration of the operations of the council and the Local National Peace Councils and their advancement
Tasks of the Syrian National Peace Council:
- Drawing up public policy that ensures the development of the workings of National Peace Councils and achieving their objectives and supervising their activities and progress.
- Communicate with local national bodies and individuals as well as international types in order to help achieve the goals.
- Holding workshops, performing studies, seminars, and conferences about National Peace.
- Adopting operational plans for national peace councils, creating reports about the proposed general budget and the final budgets of the national peace councils.
- Establish necessary guidelines for coordinating with official and non-official sources, as well as with various social organizations and institutions in order to achieve the goals of this system.
- Adopting financial regulations and administrative measures necessary to manage the affairs of the Supreme Council and the National Peace Councils, and adopting this with the secretary of the General Secretariat of the Coalition.
Administrative Structure of the National Peace Council:
The Council is made up of:
- President of the Council
- Vice President of the Council
- Holder of the Secret of the Council
There are 19 members on the council. They will represent all the Syrian governorates including Damascus and Aleppo, one for each of the cities and their suburbs (four total), three representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Justice, and Finance. It is possible to increase the number of members to 30.
- The administrative branch of the Syrian Council is made up of administrative employees appointed by the President of the council in consultation with the Vice President and Holder of the Secret.
- Members of the council are elected for six months with a chance of reelection one time, including the President, Vice President, and Holder of the Secret. If one of their positions becomes vacant for any reason a replacement will be elected by a majority vote from the Syrian Council.
- It is acceptable for the President of the council to invite members with exofficio status.
National Peace Councils:
- A group of people from each governorate will elect a President, Vice President, and Holder of the Secret for their National Peace Councils. These individuals will form the National Peace Council for their respective governorates. The number of members of the council should complement the population of that governorate so that for every 100,000 citizens there is a council member in order that no council is less than 7 members and no more than 25 members and every council has an administrative structure that is overseen by the President.
- There should be an office for each council assigned to recruit volunteers with varied expertise and skills in order to achieve its goals.
