President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, Nasr Al-Hariri, said that the Constitutional Committee represents a gateway to a solution in Syria, pointing out that it needs international support to achieve progress and deny the Assad regime the opportunity to disrupt its work.
The Constitutional Committee convened in Geneva on Monday for the third round of talks aimed at drafting a new constitution.
In an op-ed article published by Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper on Monday, Al-Hariri said: “The international community must show a firm stance during the talks of the Constitutional Committee. Major actors must realize that the options are few and commit to fair solutions, or the alternatives will difficult and dire.”
Al-Hariri pointed out that the delegation of the Syrian Negotiations Commission is committed to the agenda of the third round of talks as it is, adding that at the same time the delegation has no doubts or illusions about the intentions of the Assad regime. “We know the regime very well. We expect that it will resort to every possible means to disrupt the agenda of the talks, whether through military escalation or through seeking to derail the agenda of the talks.”
Al-Hariri called on sponsors of the political process and United Nations to put an end to the Assad regime’s manipulation of the agenda and its attempts to wriggle out of the political process. He said that the international community is the only party capable of reining in the Assad regime and its backers and forcing them to agree to a real political solution.
The Syrian opposition stands ready for a political transition in Syria and is committed to the basic principles of a political solution in accordance with UN resolutions, Al-Hariri said. He said that the Syrian opposition has not set any preconditions for negotiations, indicating that a political solution was and remains the path agreed upon by forces of the Syrian revolution and opposition to regain the rights of the Syrian people; achieve the goals of the revolution; and enforce the United Nations resolutions.
Moreover, Al-Hariri stressed that the Syrian people need support from the international community to enable them to bring an honorable end to their long struggle; establish a better future; return to their homeland; and take part in rebuilding the country under good governance that they freely choose.
Al-Hariri stressed that the Syrian people will not submit to tyranny while rejecting the continuation of suffering, starvation, bloodshed, and the theft of the country’s resources. “They expect that the international community will remain committed to enforcing its resolutions and fulfilling its pledges.”
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
