The Syrian National Coalition’s Office of Strategic Consulting held a workshop in the Turkish city of Kilis to discuss the options available to the Syrian revolution at the political and military levels. About 30 activists, media workers, and representatives of civil society organizations attended the workshop which was held in cooperation with the Coalition’s Office of Studies and Documentation.
Ahmed Ramadan, member of the Coalition’s political committee, talked about international moves and the UN’s efforts to revitalize the political process and whether it will lead to a political solution in accordance with UN resolution 2254 or will be limited to political settlement imposed by the interests of the main stakeholders in Syria.
Ramadan talked the Assad regime’s internal crises, the growing resentment in the areas under its control, and the Iranian militias’ crimes against the Syrian people. He also talked about Russia’s attempts to get out of its predicament in Syria after four years of military intervention that has so far failed to achieve a military resolution or impose its political will on the Syrian people.
Riad al-Hassan, Secretary of the Coalition’s political committee, talked in some detail about the course of the political process since it has begun with the adoption of the Geneva Communique of 2012 up to announcement by the UN Secretary-General of the launch of the Constitutional Committee. He also talked about attempts by the regime and its backers to disrupt the negotiating process and undermine all chances of reaching a political solution as it did in 2014 and during the eight rounds of talks in Geneva during which three UN envoys failed to achieve a significant breakthrough in the course of negotiations.
Al-Hassan also talked about the Coalition and the Syrian Negotiations Commission’s formation of working groups tasked with dealing with prospects of the political process and how to ensure continued commitment to the goals of the Syrian revolution and that the new constitution reflects the hopes and aspirations of the Syrian people in all their components and backgrounds.
Member of the Coalition Mohammad Wajih Juma and Chairman of the Syrian Turkoman Council, talked about the importance of building a successful model in the liberated areas. He also talked about the importance of cooperativeness between all the national institutions of the revolution and the need for more work for millions of Syrian civilians in the liberated areas through the provision of services, rehabilitation of infrastructure, improving security, the creation of jobs for the Syrian youth, and supporting civil society.
The participants included member of the political committee Bahjat Atassi, Mohammed Wali, member of the General Assembly and the Office of Strategic Consulting, and Colonel Mohammed al-Shamali, representative of the Coalition in the Turkish city of Gaziantep. They discussed the course of the revolution and the need for strengthening the national discourse and the need for cooperativeness to rid Syria of despotism and bring about a national, democratic alternative. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
