“This formed committee does not represent Syrians in all their spectrums and diversity. There is a clear exclusion of political, societal, and national forces, who constitute a large and significant percentage of Syrian society. Their exclusion is a blatant violation of the national partnership principle,” the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) said in a statement.
Following his appointment as transitional president on January 29, Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed to hold a National Dialogue Conference that would pave the way for “free and fair elections.” The committee was set up on February 11 with directions to develop regulations and set the criteria for the conference. There are currently no Kurds on the committee.
The SDC said that the committee was formed from a single political agenda and viewpoint and their exclusion “stands as an obstacle to building a truly democratic state.”
“The deliberate neglect and intentional exclusion of national political forces that have opposed the Assad regime for years, and have been subjected to killing, arrest, exile, and displacement, is an act that does not reflect the true intention for everyone to participate in the future Syria,” the SDC added.
An umbrella group of Kurdish opposition parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) has also condemned the absence of Kurds from the committee, saying on Thursday that it “undermines political and ethnic pluralism” in the country.
In a press conference held in Damascus on Thursday, the committee stated that no group in Syria would be invited to the conference based on “entity, identity, party, or religion,” but that attendees would be selected solely on the grounds of being “Syrian and patriotic.” The committee also said that “ethnic and sectarian quotas are not part of the national dialogue agenda.”
The committee on Thursday told Rudaw that the SDF “does not represent our people” and “will not have a seat at the National Dialogue Conference” since it “has not handed over authority to the defense ministry.”
The SDF is the de facto army of the Kurdish-held Rojava. The force has been the main ally of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) on the ground in Syria over the past decade. It has opened talks about its future with Damascus.
The SDC called for a review of the committee’s formation “so that it is inclusive of all Syrian components, in a way that is consistent with the requirements of the transitional phase and establishes a true national dialogue.”
While the National Dialogue Conference is seen as part of a broader push by Damascus for the lifting of sanctions, observers are urging the international community to link any such relief to concrete benchmarks, including commitments to an inclusive political process.
