What are the terms of the “opposition” and “government” papers submitted to the meetings of the Constitutional Committee?

During the fourth round of meetings of the Constitutional Committee, the delegations of the opposition and the Syrian government presented two papers that included a set of items representing principles and foundations of the Syrian constitution.

Government Paper

The paper presented by the Syrian government delegation headed by Ahmad al-Kuzbar under the title “National Foundations and Principles” included eight principles and came on two pages, according to Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper.

The first clause stipulated the continuation of the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations through a total rejection of terrorist acts carried out by terrorist organizations, including (ISIS), (Al-Nusra) and (the Muslim Brotherhood) and those associated with them or allied with them on the ground in all Syrian territory.

Rejection of terrorism practiced by some countries against the Syrian people, including economic terrorism… and unilateral coercive measures.

The second item stipulates the condemnation of the foreign occupation of Syrian lands by Turkey, Israel and the United States and working to end it by all possible means, criminalizing dealing or acknowledging the occupying authorities and calling for foreign intervention, whatever it is.

In the third item, the document called on the participants to support the Syrian Arab Army by all means to carry out its missions.

The fourth stipulated the rejection of any separatist or semi-separatist project, whatever its formula, and the rejection of attempts to impose a fait accompli. The document explained that this is done through three steps: “total rejection of any political or military action that affects the territorial integrity, work to bring down any separatist or quasi-separatist project, rejection of any educational, educational, cultural, social, political or military separatist measures, and criminalization and fighting of separatist groups.” And the organizations that support any separatist project and those behind it.”

And in the fifth item, “the national identity represents the melting pot of all Syrians (…) that transcends any religious, sectarian, regional, tribal or ethnic affiliation,” noting that this “manifests” in five things, namely:

Name of the State: The Syrian Arab Republic
Official Language: Arabic
Belonging to and loyalty to the homeland and defending it,
the individual’s general feeling of belonging to the entire national territory
without prejudice to national symbols such as the flag and the national anthem.

The sixth item stipulates the need to protect the cultural and civilizational diversity of the Syrian society and to distinguish it with all its components and tributaries as a national heritage that enhances national unity.

The seventh focused on encouraging refugees to return by all possible means, guaranteeing this right, rejecting what some parties and governments are doing to obstruct this under false pretexts or linking (the return) to political agendas, in addition to calling on the international community to support the efforts of the Syrian state in creating suitable conditions for return. .

The document devoted the eighth item to the “humanitarian file” by calling for it to be addressed by “supporting the state’s efforts to alleviate the human suffering of its people caused by the systematic terrorist war imposed nearly 10 years ago,” while “condemning the political use of this file.”