The Syrian National Coalition’s presidential body and the political committee held a meeting as part of the preparations for the first session of the work of the Constitutional Committee due to be held at the UN Office at Geneva later this month. The participants included the Coalition’s representatives in the Constitutional Committee.
The participants discussed the basic principles that must be established based on the procedural rules of the work of the Constitutional Committee and international resolutions, especially the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolution 2254 as well as the 12 Living Intra-Syrian Essential Principles paper produced by the Geneva Process, as well as the Riyadh I and II communiques and previous Syrian constitutional experiences.
The meeting focused on the importance of the separation of the three legislative, judicial and executive powers, ensuring the independence of the judiciary, and consolidating the system of local administration.
They also discussed the establishment of security, military and police institutions, ensuring human rights as well as public and personal freedoms, the formation of independent bodies and affiliated institutions, ways of implementing transitional justice, and guaranteeing human rights in Syria and the bodies and councils responsible for this file.
The meeting also included in-depth discussions of ways to ensure the success of the work of the Constitutional Commission as key to reaching a political solution. They stressed the need to work concurrently to start negotiations in Geneva on the issues outlined in the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolution 2254, especially the establishment of an inclusive, credible, non-sectarian system of rule. Such a rule should enjoy all the necessary powers to create a safe, neutral environment for the holding of general elections in addition to the implementation of confidence-building measures as was stipulated by UN resolution 2254.
Participants in the meeting also stressed the importance of the results reached with regard to the future of Syria and the state that the Syrian revolution sought to build with regards to justice and equality in rights and duties. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
