In Rome, Syrian Dissidents Appeal for Political Solution
Syrian dissidents meeting in Rome signed a joint appeal Thursday for a political solution to the Syria conflict, calling for a ceasefire, the release of detainees and national reconciliation.
"We cannot accept Syria being transformed into a theatre of regional and international conflict," said the 17 signatories of the appeal, including leaders of the National Coordination Body and the Democratic Forum.
The talks were hosted by the Catholic international charity Sant'Egidio, which is active in conflict resolution in Africa and the Middle East.
Sant'Egidio said it was excluding the main exiled opposition group, the Syrian National Council, because "they are calling for violence".
It said almost all the participants in the Rome talks were based in Syria and considered themselves pacifists.
Several invitees were unable to attend because of the conflict.
"We believe the international community has the strength and the necessary ability to find a consensus that would be the basis of a political solution to the current dramatic crisis," said the appeal, agreed after days of talks.
Among the opposition leaders' demands were "a real global negotiation that excludes no one and a process that would be completed with real national reconciliation" as well as humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of the military.
"We know that Syria, a place where different religions and peoples have coexisted peacefully, today runs a deadly risk that threatens the unity of its people, their rights and the sovereignty of the state," the appeal said.
One of the signatories, Abdul Aziz Al-Khayer, who served 14 years in prison for his opposition to the regime, said: "Weapons are not the solution. Weapons just kill people and destroy things. They do not build a democracy.
"It would be catastrophic for the region if things are allowed to continue like this. We are launching an appeal to the world that militarization is not the solution. The violence has not produced anything," the dissident said.
"Syrian society is based on a very fragile equilibrium and the violence is destroying it," said Marco Impagliazzo, the director of Sant'Egidio.
"We can begin to see a future beyond the weapons. This is a beginning."
Source: Agence France Presse
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