Popular rejection of constitutional committee

On September 23, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the formation of the so-called "Constitutional Committee," which is intended to play a role in drafting a new constitution for Syria, or amending the current constitution, without the participation of representatives of the Autonomous Administration(AA) and the Syrian Democratic Council(SDC), where the decision showed discontent among the political and social circles in northern Syria.

The Autonomous Administration in northern and eastern Syria, which manages an area of more than 5 million Syrians along with tens of thousands of refugees and displaced people, said that the outputs of the committee, in which their representatives do not participate, do not concern them.

Although such a move was expected to push the situation in Syria, which has been at war for eight years to peace and find solutions, it seems that the mindset of exclusion and denial by the parties to the conflict will increase the depth and duration of the crisis, according to officials and residents of northern and eastern Syria.

"One third of the territory of Syria was liberated with the blood of the martyrs of the people of this region, however the components in northern and eastern Syria are not represented in the Constitutional Committee, which we reject," said the citizen Firas Qasimlo to Hawar news agency.

The composition of the Constitutional Commission itself is problematic for adopting contradictory views on the shape of the country's future constitution. Mercenary representatives on the commission demand a new constitution that would give them central powers, while regime representatives see the need to preserve the current constitution, and keep the keys to power in the hands of the Assad regime,  both visions do not serve our democratic approach in Syria.

"We demand our rights no more, and we do not believe that this committee will be able to resolve the crisis in Syria, just like any previous committee formed by the countries controlling the fate of Syria."

Mohammed Khalil, a shopkeeper in Kobani, said the constitutional committee, which was agreed without the participation of half of Syria's population, could not solve the problems in Syria and would not give anything to the Syrian people.

"The participants now do not represent the Syrian people, but work for the interests of some countries. We reject this committee, which will work for the interests of some countries and not for the Syrians," he added in the same context.

"We are Syrian citizens and this is our homeland and we want our problems to be solved by holding meetings between the Syrians themselves to solve the crisis in all Syrian regions," said Mohammad Buzan.

"All the people and clans in this region will not accept the drafting of a constitution by outside parties," he said.

A.H

ANHA