A delegation from the Syrian National Coalition met with members of the Syrian community in the Turkish province of Hatay as part of meetings organized by the Office of Strategic Consulting to inform the community on the latest political and on the ground developments and listen to the community’s observations and vision of what is happening.
Member of the political committee and Coordinator of the Office of Strategic Consulting, Ahmed Ramadan, said that the Syrian crisis is at an important crossroad. He pointed out that the developments east of the Euphrates dealt a “severe blow” to terrorist organizations, pointing to the possibility of the revolution and opposition forces to benefit from these developments by providing services and security for the people after their areas have been freed.
Ramadan also pointed to the developments related to the ongoing popular uprisings in Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran, pointing out that they are in the interest of the Syrian people. He said that weakening the Iranian regime and liberating the people of the region from its hegemony will help the Syrian people in achieve the goals of their revolution.
Secretary of the political committee and member of the Constitutional Committee, Riad Al-Hassan, talked about the first round of the meetings of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva. He said there were repeated attempts by the regime to derail negotiations, adding that the regime avoided engagement in the discussion of constitutional provisions. He pointed to the efforts of the opposition team to cooperate with the United Nations with the aim of drawing up an agenda and directly engaging in the negotiations in the second round due to begin on November 25.
Al-Hassan answered questions about the position of the constitutional process in the political process. He said that the Syrian Negotiations Commission urged the UN envoy to activate the rest of the tracks of negotiations, stressing that the drafting of a new constitution should be in parallel with the creation of a safe, neutral environment, which means that political transition is at the heart of the political process.
Member of the political committee and the Constitutional Committee, Yasser Farhan, talked about the legal aspect in the drafting of the constitution, noting that the opposition delegation has developed several scenarios to deal with the negotiating process in accordance with the goals of the revolution and the demands of the Syrian people.
He said that the regime delegation tried more than once to derail the negotiations by focusing on issues not related to the Constitution and evaded regular meetings. He also said that the success of the work of the Constitutional Committee depends on developing a clear strategy, listening to the demands of the people, and achieving the goals of the revolution.
Member of the political committee and Coordinator of the Communities Office, Mohammed Yahya Maktabi, talked about the role of the Syrians in the Diaspora in supporting the revolution. He stressed the importance of organizing the work of the community and increasing its effectiveness and taking advantage of the potential of the members of the Syrian community in Hatay, which number more than 450,000 people who include people with extensive civil and military expertise.
He stressed that the Coalition is keen on helping strengthen the role of the community and communicate with them, organize joint activities, and benefit from the expertise available inside the community.
Participants in the meeting included defecting army officers, fighters from the coastal front, representatives of the Free Syrian Northern Community, Hama Social Club, and other bodies. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
