Majdoleen Hassan: The Syrian democratic forces will have a role in the political settlement
Ugarit Post :Syrian democratic forces and personalities held a consultative meeting in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, in the middle of this month, during which they stressed the need to adhere to and implement UN Resolution 2245 and Geneva Statement 1 as the basis for a political solution in Syria.
After the meeting, the participants said that any political solution in Syria must be democratic without excluding any party, in addition to addressing the file of displaced Syrians and refugees, ensuring their voluntary and safe return to their homes, releasing all detainees and abductees, and revealing the fate of the missing and forcibly disappeared.
During an exclusive interview with the Secretary of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference of Democratic Forces and Personalities, Majdoleen Hassan, the Ugarit Post network raised many questions about the conference’s ability to influence some opposition forces, In addition to the nature of the support provided to the conference by some international parties, and other questions and proposals.
The following is the full text of the interview conducted by “Ugarit Post” with Professor Majdoleen Hassan:
What is the purpose of holding a conference of democratic forces and personalities at this particular time, and are there upcoming transformations?
This consultative meeting in the Swedish city of Stockholm came within the framework of preparations for the Conference of Democratic Forces and Personalities, which has been working on for some time. It makes the conference different from what came before and distinctive because it came to fill the void in the representation of Syrian democrats as a political carrier of the desired democratic solution that represents the aspirations of Syrians for freedom and democracy.
Will holding the conference affect the negotiations that may take place between the SDC and the Syrian government under Russian auspices?
So far, there are no negotiations or a negotiating path between the “MSD” and the “Syrian Regime,” but merely promises. The naming here is not important. It will have a strategic role that extends beyond the completion of any possible political settlement and may play political roles in the transitional phase and beyond. The Preparatory Committee has a vision about the possibility of playing a role, perhaps in the electoral process after the completion of the political settlement. These ambitions I hope we can work on until the end.
Can the conference make an impact on some opposition forces, especially as there is talk of holding another comprehensive conference and perhaps forming a new platform for the opposition?
The political body to be removed from the conference is not a substitute for any other party, but rather an attempt to unify the vision regarding the future of Syria, and to bring together the democratic forces that were absent due to the forces of extremism.
What is the nature of the support provided to the conference by some international parties? Are there future promises from these parties?
Some countries have shown support for this conference as well as sponsorship. The preparatory consultative meeting was organized in cooperation with the Olive Palme International Center. I believe that international support for the conference would push the process forward despite our desire that the process be Syrian, owned by Syria and led by Syrians in order to avoid the influence of international agendas.
