Hundreds of Syrians will convene in Damascus on Tuesday for a one-day national dialogue conference, hosted by Syria’s new Islamist rulers as a pivotal step in transitioning to a new political system after decades of Assad rule.
But critics have questioned the rushed preparation for the dialogue conference, the lack of minority representation and the weight it will ultimately hold in a political process steered so far by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist armed group that seized power in Syria after toppling former president Bashar al-Assad.
Possible Agenda
Organisers say the conference will discuss recommendations that will help shape a constitutional declaration – intended to lay out the basic principles for Syria’s new governing order – as well as a transitional justice system, a new economic framework and a plan for institutional reform, among other issues.
Its proposals will also be considered by a new transitional government that is set to take power on March 1 in Syria, according to Hassan al-Dughaim, spokesperson for the conference’s preparatory committee.
Global Scrutiny
The summit will be closely watched by Arab and Western capitals alike, which have conditioned full ties with Syria’s new leaders – including the possible lifting of sanctions – on whether the political process is inclusive of Syria’s ethnically and religiously diverse population, three diplomats said.
To put together the event, a seven-member preparatory committee hosted listening sessions organised by the province, sometimes holding several two-hour sessions a day to fit in all of Syria’s 14 regions over the course of a week.
Five of the committee members are either in HTS, or close to the group, and there are no Druze or Alawite members, both of which are significant minorities in Syria.
A total of 4,000 people across Syria attended the invite-only sessions, Dughaim said.
Shift From Autocracy
Proponents say that process is a notable shift from decades of autocratic rule by the Assad family, when political dissent was often met with detention in a labyrinthine prison system.
“This is a real democracy. We’re getting what they want, all their observations, all their comments, put them together, and this will be the basis of the discussion,” said Hind Kabawat, the only Christian on the otherwise Sunni Muslim committee.
“It’s a process of the people, to the people, from the people.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
