Statement From Syria’s NSF On Meeting US Officials

Statement From Syria’s National Salvation Front On Meeting US Officials
 
A delegation from the National Salvation Front in Syria held a series of meetings with officials from the US National Security, State Department and a number of deputy Congressmen in the period from 17 to 19 April, 2007. The front’s delegation was headed by Dr. Hossam Al Deray, the front’s General Secretariat member, and the delegation included members from the front and representatives from the Syrian national council. The delegation discussed the deteriorating human rights reality in Syria, and the regime’s snowballing crackdown against political activists in the country.
 
The front’s delegation detailed to the US officials the human rights reality in Syria, specially the regular degrading treatment against political prisoners, including Dr. Kamal Al –Labawani, intellectual Michael Kilou, Anwar Al Bunni, Dr. Aref Dalilia; the delegation discussed also the disgraceful legislative elections scheduled to be held this April, and the presidential referendum to be held next June. The delegation confirmed that these election processes are useless due to the many legal restrictions imposed on parties and independent candidates, smoothly allowing the ruling Baath Party and government vetted parties to win. The delegation pointed to lacking freedom of choice in the presidential referendum, because the voting takes place in public, in front of policemen, a flagrant attempt to intimidate voters. The delegation said that the public opinion must focus on these issues, specially in the light of the visit of US Congressmen to Syria, which the regime tries to make use of to its interest in the state-run media.
 
The front delegation declared its assessment to the US officials, saying the conduct of the regime won’t change except through a real democratic change. As for the situation in Lebanon, the delegation confirmed that Lebanon will not enjoy democracy and stability unless there is a democratic regime in Syria. The front’s delegation added that the Syrian and Lebanese peoples have suffered so much under Al-Asad’s tyrannical and corrupt regime.
 
For their part, the representatives of the US National Security and State Department expressed their rejection to the policies adopted by the Syrian regime, saying they didn’t receive any indication that the Syrian regime plans to change to make The United States be open with it. The front delegation was informed that the US administration is not concerned with talking with the Syrian regime. This clear and strong message was highlighted in the press conference that Scot Carpenter, the US deputy Assistant Secretary of State, held with Arab media correspondents in Washington. Carpenter told the Arab reporters that the administration wants to see ” beginning of a path ” that leads eventually to a domestic political reform and a real democracy in Syria.
 
In a related context, some deputy Congressmen informed the front’s delegation that a a strong message around human rights to has been sent to Syrian officials, including Bashar Al-Asad, and that any promise of improving US-Syrian relations is tied to a change of the Syrian regime’s conduct in all levels and fields, including improving human rights, openness and domestic political reform. It was made clear that the message that the Congressmen sent during their visit to Syria was distorted in the Syrian media.
 
The front’s delegation seized this opportunity to announce officially opening the office of the national salvation front in Washington next May, 1st, 2007. The office’s activities will be carried out by the front’s members in The United States, with a supervisory- as an advisor- form Elizabeth Maknou, the ex-US ambassador to Qatar. The front’s office in The United States will focus on contacting the US administration and Congressmen, in addition to contacting the Syrian community members in the USA, to help in giving a clear picture about the situation in Syria and the region in general.


Annual Report on Human Rights Situation in Syria 2006


(Covering the period from June 2005 to May 2006)


SHRC Annual Report 2006


 


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