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Kassioun Editorial 1128: Astana’s Next Mission!
More than four years ago, the People’s Will Party (PWP) called on the Astana track to take the lead in the political solution, regardless of the West, and in spite of it if necessary. Among many examples, it is sufficient to refer in this context to Kassioun’s Editorial 937 dated October 28, 2019 and titled: “Astana Leads the Solution, Washington Outside it”. The title alone is enough without referring to quotes. The PWP has repeatedly made this call on many occasions, the most important of which is the recent Tehran summit of the Astana tripartite, when Dr. Kadri Jamil, the PWP secretary, on November 21, 2022, a day before the summit convened, confirmed “the need for Astana to take the lead in implementing the political solution in Syria, which passes exclusively through the full implementation of UNSC Resolution 2254 and through direct negotiation between two competent delegations from the opposition and the regime”.
With the conclusion of the 20th edition of the Astana meetings, which took place a few days ago, it can be said that the conditions have matured for Astana’s transition to its higher mission – the political one. The ceasefire task had consumed several years until it was accomplished, as well as the preparations for the political solution, including the formation of the Constitutional Committee that took place as a result of the Sochi conference sponsored by Astana. Thus, today, the overall conditions – international, regional, and domestic – are ready for the next shift; that is, to implement the political solution in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2254.
The aforementioned conditions are not limited to the growing American retreat, but also include the high level of understandings and rapprochement between the main countries in the region – these include Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt – and China and Russia, against American-Zionist interest.
The task placed now on Astana’s table is to simultaneously achieve both a political solution in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2254 and the withdrawal of foreign forces in a way that achieves the unity of the Syrian territory and people. Achieving sustainable stability in Syria and its neighborhood (except for the Zionist entity for which deepening instability in Syria is an advantage) cannot take place without achieving both issues, and in parallel. That is, a political solution capable of reuniting the Syrian people, and the exit of foreign forces leading to the reunification of the Syrian territory.
Tangibly, this means:
- Starting the process of direct negotiation between two competent delegations, during which, within reasonable deadlines, and among several agreements, an agreement is reached on the definition of the transitional governing body (TGB), its tasks, powers, and formation. The best place for this negotiation process, and indeed the logical place for it, is Damascus and no other place, with the necessary guarantees for that secured.
- The TGB, which is one of the main outcomes of the direct negotiation process, beginning its work, in parallel with collecting and controlling arms, and the start of the withdrawal of foreign powers.
- The TGB working on new legislations for the media, political parties, and elections, and starting to resolve the issues of detainees and missing persons.
- The TGB starting the main reconstruction process, especially those of the infrastructure, in cooperation with Astana and China, and establishing the political and security conditions for a widespread return of Syrian refugees.
- Resuming the work of the Constitutional Committee to draft a new constitution, with holding a national conference to support the Committee’s work.
- Holding all types of elections, marking the completion of the political transition process.
The withdrawal of foreign forces from the country must be completed before elections are held, and the Astana countries will be the guarantors of the implementation thereof.
The opportunity to extract the political solution from the West and particularly from the US and the Zionist entity, and through that restoring the independence and sovereignty of Syria, has become a realistic and achievable opportunity. In other words, the opportunity for Syria to return to life has become achievable in light of the new international and regional circumstances. However, all this requires serious patriotic will, and requires setting aside the narrow interests of the extremists on all sides, and this is what should happen, and what will happen, one way or another.
