(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Irfan Bukhari |
The Peninsula
Former Prime Minister of Syria, Dr. Riad Hijab, has said that despite the grim situation in Syria, opposition parties are more determined than ever to fulfil people's demands, strengthen national identity and achieve a political transition free of Assad and his regime.
“Following a turbulent decade, during which the Syrian people have paid a heavy price for their freedom and dignity, the regime's brutality turned popular nonviolent protests into an intractable condition of international polarisation,” Dr. Riad Hijab said, while addressing the opening session of 'Whither Syria' symposium at Sheraton Hotel yesterday.
The symposium was attended by a number of leaders from opposition parties as well as scholars from around the world who read their papers on different subjects covering Syrian crisis. President of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, Salem Al Meslet, chaired the first session of the symposium.
“Despite the grim situation in Syria today, we are more determined than ever to fulfil our people's demands, strengthen our national identity, achieve a political transition free of Assad and his regime, and to unify our efforts to hold all perpetrators accountable, and ensure that they do not go unpunished,” Hijab said.
He also thanked Qatar for its 'firm principled position' on Syrian crisis saying,“I would like to express my gratitude to the State of Qatar for its firm principled positions and its support for international efforts to implement UN resolutions, for its call to hold those who committed violations against the Syrian people accountable, and for hosting this symposium.”
“I would also like to extend my thanks and gratitude to all friendly countries for backing the demands of the Syrian people, for hosting millions of Syrians, and for their quest to achieve an effective political transition and the establishment of a free, democratic regime in which there is no place for Bashar Al Assad and for all those involved in committing crimes against the Syrian people.”
He said that the symposium had been convened to“assess our progress and correct the errors we have made along the difficult path to achieving a unified, free, democratic state based on the rule of law, freedom of expression and equal rights of all citizens without discrimination”.
He said that the claims that Bashar Al Assad had won against the Syrian people were far from true.“His regime suffers heavy losses at all levels. Attempts to normalisation with his regime are diminishing due to corruption, mismanagement, security and economic deterioration, loss of moral and human values, worsening living conditions, the collapse of the Syrian pound. Syria has declined to the lowest levels of corruption, poverty, and unemployment in the world, meanwhile Assad's exhausted allies fight a desperate battle to naturalise a regime that has lost its legitimacy.”
He expressed hope that the symposium would come up with an inclusive proposal, through a set of recommendations to lay out broad guidelines for the opposition forces' work.“We should bear in mind our responsibility towards the tragedy of our Syrian detainees who are exposed to the worst forms of humiliation in Bashar Al Assad's prisons and the economic hardship our people inside Syria suffer, in addition to thirteen million displaced Syrians who have suffered the worst mass displacement since World War II.”
He further said:“It requires us to assume full responsibility and set national interest as our priority, to launch a new episode in the conflict, in which the Syrians will obtain all their legitimate rights and get rid of the repressive regime.”
Speaking at the first session, Salem Al Meslet, said:“I am keen to see the opposition showing its unity for everyone. It is alleged that the opposition is not united. However, it is not necessary that the opposition to be united under one theme and one institution but there are common grounds. Is anyone supports division/partition of Syria? Does anyone favour the region to sustain more oppression and occupation raising the number detainees, victims, displaced and refugees? I do not think anyone support these.”
“I hope that we all will come out with a united opinion and decision to serve the people – millions of displaced, refugees and detainees,” he added.
Dr. Abdulbaset Sieda, former president of the Syrian National Council said:“After over 10 years, Syrians meeting to discuss the factors of the imbalance, root causes of the problem and how to get out of the current situation in which the Syrians are living.”
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