MSDThe Fourth Conference of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) commenced on Wednesday, December 20, its proceedings with broad participation from various segments of Syrian society, including representatives from all governorates of Syria, political parties and blocs, and independent figures in the Syrian city of Raqqa.
Speeches were delivered by a huge number of attendees, including the Co-Chair of the SDC, the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
After recalling the martyrs and expressing condolences for them, Co-Chair of the SDC, Amina Omar, during her speech, emphasized the importance of holding the Fourth Conference of the SDC, particularly amid challenging global, regional, and local circumstances, especially Syria’s situation with the absence of an effective political power leading the resolution in the country. She also pointed out the genuine desire of the Council to stop the Syrian bloodshed, achieve lasting peace and stability, and not be drawn by the agendas of foreign countries involved in the Syrian situation, primarily seeking their own interests. That was evident during the events happened in northern Syria, where there were an occupation and a demographic change.
Omar reiterated the absolute conviction that a political resolution cannot be advanced without relying on the Syrian people and their vital roles, as well as on the UN Resolution that ensure the achievement of a democratic transition and stability in Syria, contributing to solving many problems in the Middle East.
She noted the importance of establishing a decentralized democratic Syria, emphasizing its foundation based on an inclusive national identity and guaranteeing the rights of all components of the Syrian people. It was seen as the hopeful solution for Syria, with the establishment and subsequent unification of the AANES and civil councils in the northern and eastern regions of Syria after liberation from the terrorist group ISIS. That led to the establishment of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
The co-chair also affirmed that Syria has suffered and continues to suffer from various problems at the national, social, cultural, economic, and educational levels. These problems are mostly attributed to the nature and mindset of successive regimes ruling Syria, the obstinacy and rigidity of the current ruling regime, and its refusal to make any concessions towards the Syrian people and their aspirations for freedom and dignity.
In conclusion, there was an emphasis on the necessity of establishing a national state based on a constitution agreeable to all, ensuring the state’s neutrality towards its ethnic and religious components. This calls for considering Syrian values such as unity, belonging, and reference as focal points. It emphasizes that the reference should be the affirmed Syrian identity which embraces the diversity and plurality that characterize the Syrian people. She concluded her speech by asserting that the political resolution will be by the Syrians, whether through official parties or through an agreement among Syrians by an inclusive national conference.
