Secretary-General of the Arab Democratic Socialist Union, Ahmed al-Asrawi, revealed that preparations have begun for a conference, the first of its kind in nine years, bringing together Syrian opposition political forces, in the capital Damascus, with the aim of establishing the National Democratic Front. The conference will take place on March 27, according to Russia Today.
The founding conference will include a group of democratic opposition forces, which chose the negotiated political solution from the beginning, according to Asrawi, who pointed out that the forces that will attend include the forces of the entire National Coordination Committee, with a group of other political forces present in the Syrian arena. Their number is not fewer than ten, in addition to the forces of the National Coordination Committee and some independent national opposition figures. Some forces or figures currently residing outside Syria, who ascribe to a political solution, will participate.
According to Asrawi, the importance of the conference lies in the fact that it is being held in Damascus, inside Syria, which gives the conference 75 percent of the required success components. “Certainly, this comes with a set of responsibilities,” he added.
He denied the existence of any link between the conference and the Syrian presidential elections, scheduled for mid-April.
What the opposition political forces are seeking to achieve, according to Asrawi, is to “open new horizons in political work and implement UN Security Council Resolution 2254 as a draft agenda for the Geneva Communiqué,” adding that “no one should expect that this conference will result in a group that would accept the solutions suggested by the regime.”
Regarding guarantees from the Syrian authorities, Asrawi said, “we do not have guarantees from any of the parties, and if the representatives of the Cairo and Moscow platforms do attend, they will attend as guests and not as partners in the conference.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
