Syria Gathers to Shape Country After Assad
A national dialogue conference began in Syria on Tuesday to chart a path forward for the country after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad and nearly 14 years of civil war, writes AP. Around 600 delegates from different parts of the country have been invited to the meeting, which is led by the rebel group HTS.
– What we are experiencing today is an exceptional and rare historical opportunity, said interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa when he opened the meeting.
The country faces a number of major challenges. The economy and infrastructure must be rebuilt from scratch, a new constitution must be written and mechanisms for prosecuting and sentencing those suspected of war crimes must be designed.
The Islamist group HTS has promised an inclusive government and the conference will be closely followed by the outside world, not least by countries that have not yet decided whether to ease their sanctions on Syria.
A national dialogue conference began in Syria on Tuesday to chart a path forward for the country after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad and nearly 14 years of civil war, writes AP. Around 600 delegates from different parts of the country have been invited to the meeting, which is led by the rebel group HTS.
– What we are experiencing today is an exceptional and rare historical opportunity, said interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa when he opened the meeting.
The country faces a number of major challenges. The economy and infrastructure must be rebuilt from scratch, a new constitution must be written and mechanisms for prosecuting and sentencing those suspected of war crimes must be designed.
The Islamist group HTS has promised an inclusive government and the conference will be closely followed by the outside world, not least by countries that have not yet decided whether to ease their sanctions on Syria.
Conference Criticized by Minorities: “Worthless”
The national dialogue conference on the future of Syria, which will be held in Damascus on Tuesday, was announced with only a few days’ notice. This, as well as the fact that only one day is set aside for the conference, has drawn criticism, writes Al Jazeera.
Opposition politician George Sabra writes on X that he received the invitation two days ago, but since he is in exile in France, he had no way of making it to the conference.
The event is also criticized by several minority groups, who believe that they are only allowed to attend “symbolically”.
“Conferences with symbolic representation are meaningless, worthless and will not contribute to finding real solutions to the country’s ongoing crisis,” 35 groups write in a joint statement.
The national dialogue conference on the future of Syria, which will be held in Damascus on Tuesday, was announced with only a few days’ notice. This, as well as the fact that only one day is set aside for the conference, has drawn criticism, writes Al Jazeera.
Opposition politician George Sabra writes on X that he received the invitation two days ago, but since he is in exile in France, he had no way of making it to the conference.
The event is also criticized by several minority groups, who believe that they are only allowed to attend “symbolically”.
“Conferences with symbolic representation are meaningless, worthless and will not contribute to finding real solutions to the country’s ongoing crisis,” 35 groups write in a joint statement.
Syrian leader: State to have monopoly on weapons
Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa appealed for unity when he opened the national dialogue conference in Damascus on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reports.
“I call on all Syrians to stand hand in hand to heal the wounds and clean up the pain after decades of dictatorship,” Sharaa said.
He also promised that the state will have a “monopoly” on weapons, a major issue in a country where a number of armed militia groups have fought each other during years of civil war.
Another important point during the conference is the drafting of a new constitution.
Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa appealed for unity when he opened the national dialogue conference in Damascus on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reports.
“I call on all Syrians to stand hand in hand to heal the wounds and clean up the pain after decades of dictatorship,” Sharaa said.
He also promised that the state will have a “monopoly” on weapons, a major issue in a country where a number of armed militia groups have fought each other during years of civil war.
Another important point during the conference is the drafting of a new constitution.
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