A delegation that included Mrs. Ilham Ahmed, head of the Executive Board of the Syria Council, lawyer Abdul Salam Ahmed, representative of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in Lebanon, lawyer Zaina Kalab and Mr. Jamal Hasan, Secretary of the Nowruz Association in Lebanon, visited Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Al-Rahi at the Patriarchal edifice in Bkerki, on Thursday afternoon, June 3, 2021.
The delegation was warmly received by His Beatitude Patriarch Al-Rahi, in which Mrs. Ilham Ahmed delivered a message that included an introduction to the Syrian Democratic Council, which represents a broad political alliance that includes a group of forces, political parties, community activities and national figures from all Syrian regions and governorates, including Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs, Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmen and Circassians.
Patriarch Al-Rahi listened to the delegation, who spoke at length about the national political project and how it works to save the Syrian homeland from the tragedy that it is going through and how this project works to achieve the people’s aspirations for change and establishing a decentralized democratic system that saves Syria from division and fragmentation and reunites the people of society, provided that the constitution guarantees political pluralism and that it expresses cultural, national and religious diversity, and that all societal components and political entities participate in its formulation without exclusion.
The delegation assured His Beatitude that the council is working hard all its best to meet with all the national and democratic Syrian forces and to present a clear method for change and democratic transition in line with Resolution 2254.
They discussed the challenges facing the Autonomous Administration project, the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the Turkish occupation of Afrin, Serekaniye, Tal Abyad and the rest of the other Syrian cities.
The delegation explained its point of view on the reasons that led to the faltering of the political process in Syria as well as it was talked about the policy of exclusion practiced towards effective and influential forces in the field and political scene, and how the delegations participating in the negotiation process do not represent all Syrians. This impasse must be addressed by restructuring the negotiating delegations to come up with a balanced process that includes practical results.
The issue of the regime’s insistence on its previous policies and its unwillingness to deal with the new reality in Syria and betting on the military option were also addressed, as the most important reasons that prevented a progress on the political solution.
Then His Beatitude the Patriarch raised several questions about the project of Autonomous Administration and the complexities of the Syrian scene in general.
At the end of the meeting, His Beatitude the Patriarch wished that the Syrians’ tragedy would end and that good, security and safety would prevail over Syria and its people.
Media of the Syrian Democratic Council ” SDC “