Syrian Opposition Document Submitted in Geneva Calls for Establishing a ‘Pluralist Republic’

UN Envoy Geir Pedersen, DPA
UN Envoy Geir Pedersen, DPA
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Syrian Opposition Document Submitted in Geneva Calls for Establishing a ‘Pluralist Republic’

UN Envoy Geir Pedersen, DPA
UN Envoy Geir Pedersen, DPA

The Syrian opposition’s High Negotiating Committee (HNC) has submitted to Constitutional Committee meetings in Geneva a four-page document promoting a number of national principles as items that should be covered by the country’s constitution.

These values demanded that the political system in Syria takes the shape of a republic established on pluralism. Power must be delegated democratically and through voting. Political parties, in turn, must contribute to Syria’s political scene while respecting the constitution and national sovereignty.

The fourth round of the Constitutional Committee talks involving government, opposition and civil society representatives concluded on Friday. The fifth round is set to convene on January 25.

During previous rounds, UN envoy Geir Pedersen managed to reach a written agreement between members in November that the fourth round would discuss “national foundations and principles”.

The HNC’s document, which Asharq Al-Awsat obtained a copy of, came as a response to an earlier document presented by the head of the government delegation Ahmed al-Kuzbari.

The government had demanded that the HNC rejects “acts of terrorism,” as well as “economic terrorism.” It also shed ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood in the same terrorist light, while condemning “foreign Turkish, Israeli and American occupation,” omitting any mention of Iran and Russia.

Presented by the head of the HNC delegation Hadi al-Bahra, the HNC’s document stressed that Syria is an independent, civil, democratic, and fully sovereign state. It also underlined the territorial integrity of Syria, saying that the country was indivisible and that no part of its lands may be ceded.

In the document, Syria is mentioned as a founding member of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations and its commitment to the principles of good neighborliness is cited.

Syria, according to the document, is committed to restoring its sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights by all legitimate means and in accordance with international law.



UN Halts Aid Shipments through Gaza's Main Crossing after Looting, Blames Israel for Crisis

Palestinians gather to receive aid, including food supplies provided by World Food Program (WFP), outside a United Nations distribution center, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, August 24, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
Palestinians gather to receive aid, including food supplies provided by World Food Program (WFP), outside a United Nations distribution center, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, August 24, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
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UN Halts Aid Shipments through Gaza's Main Crossing after Looting, Blames Israel for Crisis

Palestinians gather to receive aid, including food supplies provided by World Food Program (WFP), outside a United Nations distribution center, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, August 24, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
Palestinians gather to receive aid, including food supplies provided by World Food Program (WFP), outside a United Nations distribution center, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, August 24, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Sunday it is halting aid deliveries through the main cargo crossing into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip because of the threat of armed gangs who have looted recent convoys. It blamed the breakdown of law and order in large part on Israeli policies.

The decision could worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the cold, rainy winter sets in, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in squalid tent camps and reliant on international food aid. Experts were already warning of famine in the territory’s north, which Israeli forces have almost completely isolated since early October.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the main aid provider in Gaza, said the route leading to the Kerem Shalom crossing is too dangerous on the Gaza side. Armed men looted nearly 100 trucks traveling on the route in mid-November, and he said gangs stole a smaller shipment on Saturday, The AP reported.

Kerem Shalom is the only crossing between Israel and Gaza that is designed for cargo shipments and has been the main artery for aid deliveries since the Rafah crossing with Egypt was shut down in May. Last month, nearly two-thirds of all aid entering Gaza came through Kerem Shalom, and in previous months it accounted for an even larger amount, according to Israeli figures.

In a post on X, Lazzarini largely blamed Israel for the breakdown of humanitarian operations in Gaza, citing “political decisions to restrict the amounts of aid,” lack of safety on aid routes and Israel's targeting of the Hamas-run police force, which had previously provided public security.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the decision.

Israel says it allows enough aid into Gaza and blames UNRWA and other agencies for failing to deliver it. It accuses UNRWA of having allowed Hamas to infiltrate its ranks — allegations denied by the UN agency — and passed legislation to sever ties with it last month.