Geneva Meeting Concludes Agreement on Syrian-led Transition
Ministers attending the Action Group meeting on Syria that concluded in Geneva on Saturday have agreed upon a set of principles and guide-lines that ushered the way for a Syrian-led transition.
Ministers of the Action Group, representing both global and regional powers, jointly issued a Communiqué after the meeting that embodies crucial agreement over the future of the conflict-laden country.
“Action Group members are committed to the sovereignty, independence, national unity and territorial integrity of Syria,” said the Communiqué.
“They are determined to work urgently and intensively to bring about an end to the violence and human rights abuses and the launch of a Syrian-led political process leading to a transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and enables them independently and democratically to determine their own future,” it said.
To secure these common objectives, the Action Group members identified steps and measures by the parties to secure full implementation of the six-point plan and Security Council resolutions 2042 and 2043, including an immediate cessation of violence in all its forms.
More importantly, they also agreed on guidelines and principles for a political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people; and agreed on actions to implement the above in support of the UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s efforts to facilitate a Syrian-led political process.
Regarding the principles and guide-lines for the transition, the Action Group agreed that any political settlement must deliver to the people of Syria a transition and offers a perspective for the future that can be shared by all in Syrians.
They also pledged to establish clear steps according to a firm time-table towards the realization of that perspective, and to implement the guide-lines in a climate of safety for all, stability and calm.
As most have agreed, the Communiqué said, the future of Syria will be de genuinely democratic and pluralistic, giving space to established and newly emerging political actors to compete fairly and equally in elections.
“This also means that the commitment to multi-party democracy must be a lasting one, going beyond an initial round of elections,” it said.
The Communiqué also identified the key steps for the transition, which include the establishment of a transitional governing body which could include members of the present government and the opposition, an inclusive National Dialogue process, and a review of the constitutional order and the legal system, according to Xinhua.
Once the new constitutional order is established, the Communiqué said, free and fair multi-party elections for the new institutions and offices will follow.
