Syrian-Syrian dialogue: leaving division behind

CAIRO – 20 September 2017: When law and order went missing in Syria during the past period due to wars and terrorism, most of the people decided to go back to their original and tribal small communities, seeking safety and belonging. However, when they saw that hard times in their country were about to come to an end, they thought maybe that was the right time to find a way of gathering together as Syrians in a unified state where everyone is a “partner”.

“We want a unified state where everyone gets equal rights and services without ethnic discriminations of any kind; this is what we are seeking through gathering here in Cairo today. We want a civilian law state where everyone feels like a partner”, Mohamed Shaker, a member of Syria’s “Al-Ghad” (Tomorrow) opposition movement, told Egypt Today Wednesday.


Meeting of Syrian Tribes in Cairo - Press photo/By Karim Abdel Aziz

For two days in row, the Egyptian government decided to host the first Syrian forum for the tribes and clans in Eastern Syria. The forum kicked off on September 19, following head of Al Ghad opposition movement Ahmed Jarba’s call for all the eastern tribes to sit and talk about Syria’s future.

Moreover, during his opening speech for the forum Tuesday, Jarba affirmed that time has come for a national dialogue between the Arab tribes in Syria, “before it’s too late,” he said. Otherwise, Syria would be an easy card for any international or regional powers to mess with, “which will not be accepted or allowed,” stated to Jarba.

Why now?

The gas-rich eastern part of Syria is one of the most important regions. It is also one of the most intense places inside the country that can be described as a “conflict zone”, Shaker said. He added that when most of the Syrian political powers and tribes noticed that what is going on in this area is seriously affecting the political process and solution, then “that’s why we had to dot all I’s and cross all the T’s.”

Shaker said that there are so many points that need to be discussed about the eastern region of Syria. “Everything has extremely deteriorated. Human rights have been violated, there is no respect for the international law, and no humanitarian aid reaches civilians in this area. There are women and children casualties daily. All of these were serious reasons behind holding this conference,” he added.

Choosing Egypt for this significant gathering represents a point that cannot be ignored, especially after Jarba’s statements Tuesday about an “Arab tripartite project” that includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which support the idea of establishing a unified Syrian home – “A state where no rights are violated and is based on partnerships,” he stated.


Meeting of Syrian Tribes in Cairo - Press photo/By Karim Abdel Aziz

There is a serious Syrian effort to rescue the country from regional interventions and conflicts by refusing the western influence and domination within their country. “If you took a real close look at the current situation inside Syria, you would only find western, Iranian and Turkish influence, but not one Arab country,” Jarba said in his speech.

However, he noted that the Arab tripartite project is unconditionally supporting them.
“We want to get back to the Arab negotiation table. These [Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia] countries truly know how to counter terrorism; they have a vision that suits us and is compatible with our vision and aspirations to have a free and unified state,” Shaker told Egypt Today.

Should we have high expectations?

Well, maybe time has come for Syrians to put conflicts aside after many years of suffering. According to Shaker, this is just the first forum, and others are expected to be held during the coming period. “Just the idea of coming to Cairo to be here today is a real sign that all of the tribes have a real willingness of talking, negotiating and unifying,” he stated.

“To be honest, they were truly agreeing on many things during their meetings. Most of them know each other because they are relatives in one way or another; they know that the political solution is the real and only solution,” Shaker optimistically said.

He affirmed that, during this forum, a permanent public body will be established aiming only to discuss all things that threaten Syrians and their country in all aspects.

Several closed sessions between the Syrian tribes are supposed to be taking place right now. A press conference is expected within a couple of hours, and more forums are expected within the coming months to encase the Syrian dialogue and maybe a different future.

UPDATE:
A council will be formed to represent the interests of the eastern Syrian governorates and partake in the future of the embattled country, according to a Wednesday statement by Syrian factions and tribes following their meeting in Cairo.

An executive body has been formed to follow a program, whereby it reports to the anticipated “Arab Council in the Island and Farat.” The council will defend the rights of the residents of al-Hasakah, Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa to administer their respective governorates and shape the future of their country, the statement said, emphasizing the unity of all the Syrian territories.

The statement called on Russia and the U.S. to acknowledge that the Arab residents of eastern Syria, making up 80 percent of the population therein, have borne the brunt of terrorism, and that they are responsible for liberating their areas with an exclusively Arab leadership.

The Syrians representing the three governorates urged Arab and international governments and organizations for support their fight against terrorism and help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the area. The statement recognized that a political solution is the only means to a democratic Syria.

The Syrian representatives, who have met Tuesday-Wednesday for consultations, applauded Egypt’s efforts in resolving the conflict in Syrian and its stance in support of the territorial integrity of their country.