Syria’s National Dialogue, a key moment in the country’s political transition after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December, concluded on Tuesday.
A statement delivered at the end of the one-day conference, which was only announced on Sunday and gave many potential participants little time to prepare for, paved the way for a new constitution to be drafted and emphasised the importance of freedom of expression and human rights.
Among the attendees was Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who had earlier called for Syrians “to stand united and hand in hand to heal the wounds and wash away the pains after decades of dictatorship”.
Here are three key takeaways from the conference:
What will Syria’s new constitution be?
The nature of Syria’s revolution – a complete rejection of the decades-long rule of the al-Assad family and the Baath party – means a new constitution was expected.
The nature of that constitution will reveal a lot about Syria’s future, particularly as doubts remain among many over al-Sharaa’s intentions, in light of his former affiliation with al-Qaeda.
Al-Sharaa has been quick to distance himself from his past and has largely avoided divisive rhetoric.
At the Dialogue, delegates were divided among working groups, with each focusing on a different topic, including the constitution, freedoms, the economy and civil society.
Houda Atassi, a member of the Preparatory Committee for the National Dialogue who read the statement at the conclusion of the conference, said the committee had called for a “temporary constitutional declaration” and a “temporary legislative council” to help determine the country’s future.
The draft constitution should achieve “a balance between authorities, establishing justice, freedom, and equality, and laying the foundation for a state of law and institutions”, the full statement said.
However, no other details were given, and the discussions in the workshop were confidential, leaving the question of how the constitution would take shape still lingering, only days before a previously declared March 1 deadline for a new transitional government to take power.
Sovereignty and Israel’s actions
The closing statement strongly rejected Israel’s actions in Syria since the overthrow of al-Assad, calling them a “blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian state”.
Israel has moved its forces into a buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights, which is itself Syrian territory illegally occupied by Israel. Israel has also taken control of areas outside of the buffer zone, including Mount Hermon, and has conducted repeated bombing raids on military sites, including attacks overnight on Tuesday.
The National Dialogue called for the “immediate and unconditional withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Syria.
It rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat that his country would not allow Syrian military forces to be present in southern Syria.
The conference also opposed Israel’s attempts to stoke sectarian tensions by indicating it was willing to protect Syria’s minority Druze community, many of whom live in the south.
The committee called for “unity of the Syrian Arab Republic” and “sovereignty over its entire territory, rejecting any form of fragmentation, division, or ceding any part of the homeland”.
Syria’s new government has been in discussions with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led group that controls large parts of northeastern Syria.
The United States-backed SDF has been hesitant to surrender its arms and has expressed a desire for some autonomous rule in the areas it controls, which the Syrian government rejects.
Rights and freedoms
The closing statement also called for “supporting the role of women in all fields” and “rejecting all forms of discrimination based on race, religion, or sect”.
It also rejected calls for ethnic or religious quotas in government – something al-Sharaa and other ministers have previously indicated their opposition to.
The place of women in the new government has been unclear after statements from certain ministers. For instance, Aisha al-Dibs, the head of the Women’s Affairs Office in the Syrian caretaker government, had previously said in December that women would play a key role but would not “go beyond the priorities of their God-given nature”, and would know “their educational role in the family”.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani was quick to push back against those statements at the time, saying that the new authorities “believe in the active role of women within society”.
The Dialogue’s closing statement called for the protection of freedoms, including the freedom of opinion and expression. This will mark a profound difference from the previous regime, under which Syrians were regularly jailed for their speech.
Another rights issue referred to in the closing statement was achieving transitional justice and holding “those responsible for crimes” accountable, while “rejecting all forms of violence, incitement, and revenge”. Reports have emerged in recent weeks of revenge attacks against people associated with the al-Assad regime in Homs and other parts of the country.
Was the National Dialogue put together too quickly?
Confusion surrounded the National Dialogue before it began, with many invitations sent out at the last minute.
Opposition politician George Sabra posted on social media that he had received an invitation on February 23, two days before the event, to be present in Damascus. Sabra lives in exile in France and said he could not travel to Syria in time.
Critics say the nature of the announcement of the National Dialogue is part of a wider pattern that has worried Syrians pushing for democratic pluralism, with little detail provided as to the timeline for elections and how free the new Syria will be.
There had been doubts over the talks due to what critics have labelled a lack of representation in the preparatory committee.
But even with the sudden announcement of the date of the National Dialogue, approximately 600 Syrians attended the talks, and many believe that it is an important step on the way to elections and a new Syria, free from decades of dictatorship.
