June 11, 2024

At the invitation of the Syrian Negotiations Commission, an expanded meeting convened in Geneva on Tuesday. Attending were the leadership, members, and representatives of the Commission, along with UN envoys and representatives to Syria, and diplomats from Arab and European nations. Also present were representatives from Syrian civil society organizations.

President of the Syrian Negotiations Commission, Badr Jamous, stressed that the Syrian people have great faith in their cause and will not back down until their legitimate goals are achieved. He emphasized that there cannot be a solution in Syria without implementing the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolutions 2254 and 2118. He indicated that some countries are trying to solve their problems at the expense of the Syrian people, which will result only in additional problems.

Jamous held the United Nations, members of the Security Council, and the countries trying to offer concessions to the regime responsible for the faltering political solution that the regime itself is obstructing and rejecting. He called on the UN Security Council to implement UN resolutions and hold accountable those who obstruct them.

Jamous stressed the urgency of Syrian refugee issues, saying that we must not give in to the regime’s blackmail through the issues of refugees, illegal drugs, and terrorism. He emphasized that the return of refugees to Syria is still unsafe, as confirmed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He expressed the Commission’s rejection of forced returns, which are fraught with risks to the lives of returnees who will be subject to violence and enforced disappearance, and its rejection of the pressure on Syrian refugees in host countries.

Jamous called for preventing the Syrian regime from exploiting the refugee issue to reap the benefits of early recovery. He also called for a UN committee to be formed by the UNHCR to monitor violations against Syrian refugees.

Moreover, he pointed out the necessity of establishing a safe and neutral environment by the Transitional Governing Body, to be formed through negotiations mediated by the United Nations, as stated in the Geneva Communique of 2012. This is one of the stages to fully and strictly implement UN Resolution 2254 and ensure a successful transition to a stable and democratic Syria.

Jamous called on the international community to raise the issue of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons at every possible occasion and to continue supporting UN bodies such as the UN Commission of Inquiry, the Joint Investigative Mechanism, the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism, and the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria.

Jamous stressed the importance of paying more attention to the educational process, calling on friendly countries and the United Nations to provide good and equal education for all Syrian students. He proposed forming an international committee to supervise the reality of education, which unfortunately today consolidates the division of the country by each faction adopting different curricula in the areas they control. He expressed the Commission’s readiness to support and participate in this committee through opposition institutions with the aim of achieving tangible progress in providing education.

Jamous strongly criticized the so-called elections that the Autonomous Administration is preparing to hold in northeastern Syria, considering them an attempt to divide the country by an illegitimate administration affiliated with an organization classified as a terrorist organization. He also deemed the elections that the regime is preparing as unacceptable and not based on any legal basis. He asserted that the regime is far from seriously engaging in a political solution and continues to export its internal crises to neighboring countries and the international community.

Participants in the meeting included Ethan Goldrich, The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State For Near Eastern Affairs, with responsibility for the Levant and Syria engagement, Rachel Schneller, the Foreign Service Officer at the US State Department, advisor Omar Al-Mashhadani. In attendance were also Ms. Sarah Timmis from the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Ms. Anna Burt, Mr. Pierre Le Goff from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Stefan Schneck, the German Special Envoy to Syria, Mr. Alessio Cappellani, the Head of the Middle East Division for Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon at the European External Action Service, Mr. Mattia Toaldo, Political Officer at the EU Delegation in Geneva, Gijs Gerlag, the Dutch Special Envoy to Syria, Mr. Hein Knegt from the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations office in Geneva, Stefano Ravagnan, the Italian Special Envoy to Syria, Mr. Vincent Pasquier, the Head of Regional Coordination for the Middle East at the Swiss Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Additionally, present were the Advisor in the Political Department at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Ms. Nazmiye Başaran, Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Sinan Zeren, Member of the Permanent Delegation of the State of Qatar to the United Nations in Geneva, Mr. Abdullah Behzad, the Representative of Japan at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Minister Ishii Yoshizane, and from the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy, Mr. Rami Shehadeh and Ms. Marwa Ali. The representative of Denmark, Egypt, and other diplomats and foreign representatives, as well as many representatives of civil society organizations and Syrian studies and documentation centers, were also present.

The Program Director of the Syria Peace Initiative and Director of the Syria Team at the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), Ms. Aylin Türer-Strzelczyk, also participated.