The head of the Syrian National Council Burhan Ghalioun at a press
conference following the Syrian opposition meeting in Istanbul. Photo AFP.
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Members of the Syrian opposition have released a draft constitution to be implemented after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Entitled “The Future of the Syrian National Prospective Constitution,” the draft statement named the country’s future provisional government as the ‘Transitional Authority in Syria.’
The new authority would be “committed to holding multi-democratic free elections aiming to establish a parliament devoted to creating a new constitution,” the draft said, and would pledge to serve all citizens, “regardless of their religious, national or intellectual backgrounds.”
Around 200 opposition members have been meeting in Istanbul this week in an attempt to overcome their differences and unify their vision for the country ahead of Sunday’s second international Friends of Syria summit.
Many different blocs were represented at the meeting, including the Syrian National Council (SNC), the National Change Current, the Syrian Patriotic Front, the Kurdish National Council (KNC), as well as Syriacs and Turkmen.
However, the National Coordination Committee for the Forces of Democratic Change, which is largely based inside Syria, chose not to attend the conference.
Despite the draft statement, the opposition remains divided. Representatives of several different blocs in attendance dismissed the draft, saying that it made no provision for ending Assad’s regime or stopping the bloodshed and didn’t take into account the people inside the country who are still being killed by the government.
A spokesperson for the Syrian Revolution Coordination Union also criticized the Turkish and Qatari governments, who organized the meeting, saying that they are supporting the SNC against the wishes of other opposition blocs.
Several countries, including the United States, have recognized the Istanbul-based SNC as Syria’s de facto government in exile. But other oppositions groups have said they will not unite under the SNC umbrella.
The Council has seen several high-level defections in recent weeks from members who say its leadership is overly dictatorial.
A final opposition statement is due to be submitted to the Friends of Syria summit when it meets in Istanbul on April 1.
Ekurd.com
