… from TASS, Moscow
[Editor’s Note: I held off publishing this to let the reaction of the US Coalition be fully developed, so we would be past pondering what it might be.
We can now see it has initiated its “Balkanizing Syria by other means” Plan B. This involves putting forward that it is going to continue to be active, including remaining in Syria until “it” decides to leave.
Even worse, while doing this without Syria’s permission or an UN mandate, and while openly engaged in supporting proxy terrorism inside Syria, it has the gall to claim that Iran and Hezbollah, members of the Syrian anti-terrorism coalition, are destabilizing the Mideast and must be sanctioned and stopped.
Israel has even threatened war, when it also has supported terrorism in Syria.
This is not only a totally ridiculous argument, but the fact that it has gotten almost no coverage as such in corporate media justifies its being institutionally described as Fake News. Part of this problem lies in the consolidation of the big media empires which seem overly sensitive to the concerns of the Deep State, to the degree of being part of it.
Any claim to serving the public is just a fig leaf. You will also notice that the employees and unions of corporate media have never gone on strike or even conducted walk outs over this abominable state of affairs, thereby putting their stamp of approval on it.
This lulls the public into not doing anything, as we were educated that unions would be our first line of defense on social justice, most of all in protecting our rights to be informed citizens. Frankly, the media personnel are AWOL.
The public has been abandoned but for alternative media, which has been heavily infiltrated to weaken its impact, as it was so affordable to do and many willing hands at the ready. Our Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves over how easily we gave up what they gave us … Jim W. Dean]
Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>
– First published … January 31, 2018 –
Participants of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Russia’s Sochi on Tuesday adopted a 12-point statement outlining the Syrians’ view on their country’s future. The document says that Syria should preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its future can be determined only by the people of Syria in elections.
The Syrians also requested the UN Secretary General to assist in organizing the work of the constitutional committee, whose mandate will be outlined as part of the Geneva reconciliation process.
A congress participant, Archbishop of Homs, Hama and Environs Mor Selwanos Boutros Al-Nehmeh told TASS that the final document “was agreed by all participants.”
Syria’s territorial integrity
The participants of the congress have expressed their respect and full commitment for the “sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity” of Syria in the first point of the 12-point document.
“In this regard no part of the national territory shall be ceded. The people of Syria remain committed to the recovery of the occupied Syrian Golan by all lawful means in accordance with the UN Charter and international law,” the document reads.
The second point stresses “respect of and full commitment to Syria’s national sovereign equality and rights regarding non-intervention.”
“Syria shall take its full role in the international community and the region, including as part of the Arab world, in conformity with the UN Charter, and its purposes and principles,” it says.
The future of Syria
In line with the third provision of the final statement, only the people of Syria can decide on their country’s future.
“The Syrian people alone shall determine the future of their country by democratic means, through the ballot box, and shall have the exclusive right to choose their own political, economic and social system without external pressure or interference, in line with Syria’s international rights and obligations,” the third point reads.
Democracy and independence
The participants of the congress believe that Syria should be “a democratic and non-sectarian state based on political pluralism and equal citizenship irrespective of religion, ethnicity and gender.”
It should also ensure “full respect for and protection of the rule of law, the separation of powers, judicial independence, the full equality of all citizens, the cultural diversity of the Syrian society, and public freedoms, including freedom of belief, featuring transparent, inclusive, accountable and answerable governance, including before the national law, with necessary effective measures to combat crime, corruption and mismanagement,” the fourth point says.
Also, participants of the congress said in the fifth provision that the state should be ” committed to national unity, social peace, and comprehensive and balanced development with fair representation in local administration.”
The rule of law
The sixth point states that the work of the country’s state and public institutions should be continuous and have “improved performance” with “reforms where necessary, including the protection of public infrastructure and property rights and provision of public services to all citizens without discrimination, in accordance with the highest standards of good governance and gender equality.”
“Citizens shall benefit from effective mechanisms in their relations with all public authorities in such a way as to ensure full compliance with the rule of law and human rights and private and public property rights,” the statement reads.
Strong armed forces
Under the seventh point, Syria should have a “strong, unified, meritocratic and national army that carries out its duties in accordance with the constitution and the highest standards.”
“Its functions are to protect the national boundaries and the people from external threats and terrorism, with intelligence and security institutions to maintain national security subject to the rule of law, acting according to the constitution and the law and respecting human rights. The use of force shall be the exclusive prerogative of competent state institutions,” the document reads.
Fight against extremism
In the eighth point, the participants of the congress have declared their “unqualified rejection of – and active commitment to combat – terrorism, fanaticism, extremism and sectarianism in all its forms and to tackle conditions conducive to their spread.”
Equal rights
The ninth point calls for “respect and protection of human rights and public freedoms, especially in times of crisis, including non-discrimination and equal rights and opportunities for all without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, cultural or linguistic identity, gender or any other distinction.”
It also calls for an “effective mechanism for their protection, which give due regard to the political and equal rights and opportunities of women, including by the taking of active measures to ensure representation and participation in institutions and decision-making structures, with mechanisms aimed to achieve a level of representation of at least 30% for women, and the goal of parity.”
Syrian society
The tenth point notes the “high value placed on Syria’s society and national identity, its history of diversity and the contributions and values that all religions, civilizations and traditions have brought to Syria, including the coexistence among its various components, along with the protection of the national cultural heritage of the nation and its diverse cultures.”
The next provision reiterates commitment to “combatting and eliminating poverty and providing support for the elderly and other vulnerable groups, including persons with special needs, orphans and victims of war, which shall include ensuring the safety and refuge of all displaced persons and refugees, as well as protecting their right to voluntary and safe return to their homes and lands.”
The final provision calls for preservation and protection of national heritage and the natural environment in line with environmental treaties and the UNESCO declaration on cultural heritage.
Constitutional committee
The document also announces the establishment of a constitutional committee comprising the government and wide-represented opposition delegation. The committee will be tasked with “drafting of a constitutional reform as a contribution to the political settlement under the UN auspices in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254.”
“The Constitutional Committee would at the very least comprise Government, Opposition representatives in the intra-Syrian talks, Syrian experts, civil society, independents, tribal leaders and women,” the final statement reads.
“Care would be taken to ensure adequate representation of Syria`s ethnic and religious components,” the document continues. “Final agreement is to be reached in the UN-led Geneva process on the mandate and terms of reference, powers, rules of procedure, and selection criteria for the composition of the Constitutional Committee.”
The participants of the congress also requested the UN Secretary-General to assign the Special Envoy for Syria for the assistance of the Constitutional Committee work in Geneva.
*
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT.
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
The full UN should convene and vote to sanction, and failing that, boot out all nations such as Israel, Turkey and the U.S. which have been illegally invading Syria and impose stiff multi billion dollar or trillion dollar fines on them. An international force should also be created to keep the peace in Syria and immediately boot out these criminal trespassers. The draconian veto powers of the gangster nations U.S, England and others must be abolished if only by booting them out completely. Either the UN must grow some balls or be totally abolished.
All things we once cherished and more. Point number 9 was thrown out with barely a whimper after 9-11 and all the false created crises hence both foreign and domestic. Replacement has been with the installation of a police state and feudalistic partite. We as citizens need our own talks in Geneva with the point for expulsion of a foreign occupation. In light of the fact that the government we once had seems incapable of or unwilling to do and is embroiled in corruption.
I see nothing wrong with the report. There is nothing in it anyone can argue with. I was hoping you would disclose the US reaction. I can guess at it. But i’ll wait
“…as we were educated that unions were our first line of defense.” I am 70, old enough to remember education in that vein. However, during my 7 decades the past 4 i have witnessed the decimation, can I say the genocide of unions. Yes the media silence allows it. I have heard many voices coming from working class men blame unions for every perceived wrong.. i say that education has changed. Are unions still mentioned in grade schools, or high schools? Unions are like Palestine, disappearing.
You can see why this was only in the news for a day, and no ongoing coverage. Someone wanted it to die a crib death, and in media that begins with orchestrating attention away from the progress. The East Ghouta attacks by al-Nusra (who the US will still not attack) were only covered when the SAA did counter attacks, and we just waited for the anticipated gassing claims and with jihadis everywhere that need killing, we are told that the Syria forces would prefer to kill their own civilians, despite the horrible press that would generate. And lastly, no one in corporate media attacked these false claims for the fraud that they were.
Comments are closed.