Syria’s new government must be ‘inclusive’, Arab foreign ministers in Jordan have said, warning that any discrimination must be prevented.
Senior diplomats from eight Arab League countries agreed at a meeting in Jordan to “support the peaceful transition process” in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
The foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar issued a joint statement after talks in the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba on Saturday.
They said “all political and social forces” should be represented in the new Syrian government, warned against “discrimination of all races, sects and religions” and called for “justice and equality for all citizens.”
The political process in Syria should be supported by the United Nations and the Arab League, in line with the principles of Security Council Resolution 2254, a 2015 resolution that laid out a roadmap for a negotiated solution, the statement said.
Arab diplomats also attended a separate meeting in Aqaba that included U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.N. special envoy for Syria Gair Pedersen, EU foreign policy chief Khaja Kalas and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The meeting also called for an inclusive and representative government that respects the rights of minorities and does not provide “a foundation for terrorist groups,” according to Blinken at the press conference.
“Today’s agreement sends a unifying message to Syria’s new interim authorities and political parties on the principles that will be critical to securing much-needed support and recognition,” he said.
The meeting took place after the fall of al-Assad last week due to a surprise offensive by the opposition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Rebuilding institutions and creating an inclusive Syria are key terms spoken by Arab diplomats and “overlap a lot with the positions of other dignitaries present in Aqaba today,” Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh reported from the Jordanian capital Amman.
“No one wants to see Syria divided into several countries,” she added. “They want to see a stable Syria that can welcome back millions of refugees and is providing political, financial and humanitarian support.”
Arab ministers said state institutions must be preserved to prevent Syria from “falling into chaos,” according to the statement. He also called for strengthening joint efforts to combat terrorism, which poses a threat to Syrian and regional security. world”.
They also condemned “Israeli violations of the buffer zone with Syria” and airstrikes against Syria and called for “the withdrawal of Israeli forces” from Syrian territory.
Inclusivity is ‘important’
The interim government set up by rebels after al-Assad was ousted has insisted that the rights of all Syrians will be protected, as will the rule of law.
This will be fundamental for a post-Al Assad Syria to avoid the mistakes of the past, according to Ravib al-Nahas, director of the Syrian Association for Civil Dignity, which advocates for the rights of Syrian refugees.
“The key to success at this critical juncture is inclusiveness and not giving the country back to one party or one individual. That was the root of our problem. That’s what got us here after the ’50s. Years of dictatorship,” al-Nahhas told Al Jazeera.
“The behavior of the Syrian population in general and the rebels in particular is to enter cities and even minority areas. I think it is exemplary,” Al-Nahas said. He added that so far there have been only scattered reports of retaliation or acts of retaliation.
The director said the international community must play a role in protecting Syria’s inclusiveness process.
