Preparatory Committee for National Dialogue Conference starts its work

On Feb 13, 2025

Today, the Ministry of Information held a press conference for the Preparatory Committee for the National Dialogue Conference.

The Committee was represented in the press conference by Engineer Hoda Al-Atassi, researcher Hassan Al-Daghim and politician Dr. Mustafa Al-Moussa.

The press conference began with a speech by Mrs. Hoda Al-Atassi, in which she read the first statement.

Al-Atassi said in the statement: “At a historic moment, preparatory work begins for the conference that brings together all the Syrians for the first time in 75 years to consolidate the approach of dialogue, discuss major national issues and find appropriate solutions.

The conference seeks to discuss political, social, economic and governance issues to lay solid foundations for national consensus, justice, reform and comprehensive representation.

The conference is keen to involve all segments of the Syrian people in various governorates and components to ensure real participation that reflects societal and political diversity.

The dialogue began from the moment of liberation, when various Syrian provinces witnessed extensive community engagement manifested in hundreds of dialogue seminars and specialized meetings organized by social institutions, provinces, and civil society organizations.

This popular interaction, which reflects the pulse of the street and the aspirations of citizens, formed a solid foundation upon which the preparatory committee relied in determining the central ideas and main themes to be discussed at the conference”.

For his part, Spokesman for the Preparatory Committee, researcher Hassan Al-Daghim, said that the date of the National Conference is left to discussion with citizens and the date of its launch will be determined when all measures and preprations are completed.

Regarding the criteria adopted by the committee in inviting national Syrian figures to participate in the conference, Al-Daghim said that there is no doubt that every national Syrian, man or woman, is a member of the national dialogue in principle, but in our situation, the ability to organize the national dialogue conference must be taken into account so that the content is not wronged at the expense of formalities, or the type is wronged at the expense of quantity. Therefore, there is no doubt that patriotism, influence, specialization, symbolism, experience, and benefit are among the priorities of the criteria that the preparatory committee will rely on in inviting citizens to attend the national conference.

In addition to the criteria related to the personality, there are the horizontal criteria related to the general image. For example, the committee takes into account the ethnic and cultural diversity of Syrians, so that the conference approaches the image of Syrian society in its diversity, Al-Daghim went on to say.

He pointed out that invitations to the conference will not be based on a religious, sectarian, or partisan basis, and will not include anyone “whose hands are stained with the blood of the Syrians.”

He added that the committee will hold workshops and tours in the governorates to meet with society components, and there will be no invitation to any figure on a religious, ethnic, sectarian, or partisan basis.

Regarding inviting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), he said: “SDF does not represent the Syrian citizens, and those who represent them are the people of the provinces and the Syrian people in those provinces. The mission of this dialogue is primarily to formulate points of view among the Syrians”. He stressed that the committee’s work ends once the final statement is issued, as was stated in the presidential decree.

He explained that the leadership’s keenness to make the conference a success is what prompted the postponement of launching the national conference time and time again, despite the fact that it is ongoing, in terms of the practical aspect.

Al-Daghim noted that the preparatory committee is completely independent. It appoints its chairman, adopts agendas and invites groups according to an internal system that it approves itself, and the constitutional structure will be the most important topics of the conference.In reply to a question about the role of women in the dialogue conference, Mrs. Hoda Al-Atassi said: “Women are present in all components within the groups that were put in place to participate in the national dialogue.”She stressed that women have a major role in building the new Syria.

 

Reported by Aourwa Deep