National Forum of Syrian Expatriates: Support to Reform, Rejection of Foreign Interference

Participants in the National Forum of Syrian Expatriates, held on Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel under the title “My Motherland Syria” with the participation of more than 150 expatriates, stressed full support to the comprehensive reform program led by President Bashar al-Assad.

In a concluding statement at the end of the Forum, the participants said what Syria is facing is in a large part a foreign conspiracy, stressing decisive rejection of all forms of foreign interference or guardianship over Syria’s affairs.

They condemned all forms of killing and sabotage committed by the armed groups against the Syrians and demanded punishment for the perpetrators.

They also stressed their denunciation of all forms of incitement with the aim of preserving civil peace and unity among the Syrian people.

The participants called upon Syrian expatriates abroad to enhance communication among them and invest in Syria and establish industrial, trade, agricultural and tourist projects to contribute to supporting national economy.

They stressed their support to Syria and its resistant stance and all the Arab resistance movements until liberating all the occupied Arab territories.

The conferees agreed on forming a follow-up committee for the Forum and naming a secretariat based in Damascus to ensure communication between the expatriates and the government parties.

Shaaban: Syria is Open to Expatriates’ Initiatives

In her opening speech, Presidential Political and Media Advisor Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban called on all expatriates to make new initiatives, and that Syria’s doors are always open to all expatriates.
She said that Syrians are united and that the country’s history offers a model of amity and coexistence, and that this model is being targeted with plots that seek to cause further division in the Arab world, noting that these plots aim to distract from Israeli occupation of Arab lands and the Palestinian issue, particularly since Arab media today rarely mentions the occupation and what is happening to the Palestinians despite its gravity.

Shaaban quoted the late President Hafez al-Assad who said “everything that unites us is right and everything that divides us is wrong,” stressing that unity is an element of strength.

“We don’t want to deny the injustices that the Arab people are experiencing in various areas and countries, including the Syrian people,” she said, noting that President Bashar al-Assad met hundreds of Syrians since the beginning of the crisis and listened to them, noting that the current crisis is a compounded one and that local factors and the just demands of the Syrian people cannot be ignored.

“What made the crisis more difficult are the violence and murder and the targeting of our armed forces, police and civilians,” Shaaban pointed out, noting that acquiring a license to protest isn’t difficult after lifting the state of emergency and issuing a law for protesting, but the problem lies in blocking roads, targeting people based on their identity and attacking the army and police by armed groups, stressing that no country in the world would accept having armed groups cutting off roads and cities through force of arms.
She noted that the roots of the current crisis and the people behind it are becoming clear and that the best methods to resolve this crisis were reached with the help of the awareness and love of the Syrian people, stressing that sectarianism didn’t exist originally in the area as it’s one of the most diverse areas in the world, noting that sectarianism emerged during the war on Iraq as a weapon leveled against the country.

Shaaban stressed that sectarianism is the most dangerous weapon used against the region, which is why the majority of the Syrian people rallied against it and against division, adding that the political parties law is almost ready and that the media and elections laws are being studied and will be ready very soon.

She also pointed out to the possibility of revising or rewriting constitutions that President al-Assad addressed, saying “if Syria – with this reform plan – is moving towards a pluralistic country and political, media and party freedom, then what else do we want from reform?”

Shaaban affirmed that expatriates constitute an important resource for Syria with their skills and expertise, calling on Syrian expatriates to return and invest in Syria.

She also voiced confidence that Syria and Egypt will emerge stronger and more determined than ever, contrary to the claims of Israeli reports.
In turn, member of the organizing committee Walid Akkawi affirmed expatriates’ complete and absolute support for the reforms proposed and carried out by President al-Assad, saying that expatriates support all just reform demands that are removed from violence, because reform and violence never meet.

He said that reform cannot be reached through violence, weapons, murder, division and sectarianism, stressing that reform takes time and that the presence of armed groups in Syrian cities and villages will hinder reform.

Akkawi added that some Syrians became fuel for the conspiracy against Syria, some intentionally and others unintentionally.

Participants in the first session of the conference voiced their absolute commitment to the homeland and national unity, rejecting all forms of foreign interference or custody when it comes to Syrian affairs.

They also rejected any act that undermines stability and security and affirmed their support for national dialogue and reform, adding that the current crisis in Syria is a foreign conspiracy that serves its enemies, particularly Israel.

The participants denounced the acts of murder, vandalism and terrorist against the Syrian people, denouncing all forms of instigation and underlining the need to give the political leadership and the government enough time to carry out the announced reform steps.

They also called for working to confront the vicious and misleading media campaign against Syria, stressing the need for expatriates to share their ideas and expertise to support the reform process, find ways out of this crisis and provide initiatives to build Syria through establishing projects that support national economy.

The second session of the conference focused on the need to form effective establishments connecting Syrian communities abroad, which will make them an influential force and help keep them informed about the true facts regarding recent events or any activity in Syria or abroad.

Discussions underlined the need to keep holding such meeting and having them produce realistic and applicable results that encourage personal and group initiatives of expatriates, stressing the important role of expatriates in promoting tourism in Syria and Syrian products.

Participants in the meeting Reject Foreign Interference, Call for Investment in Syria

The participants expressed their rejection to all the attempts of interference in the Syrian internal affairs, calling on Syrian communities abroad to transfer their investments and projects of Syria.

Managing Editor of the weekly business magazine of Arabian Business in the UAE, Anis Dayyoub, said that the meeting is held to provide material and moral support to Syria during the crisis and backing the reform process led by president Bashar al-Assad.

For his part, Imad-Eddin, an expatriate in Dubai said “we are here to underline the support of Syrian citizens abroad and to present their experience for developing the country, rejecting all sorts of sabotaging acts and supporting the national unity.”

Engineer Samer Salibi, an expatriate in Dubai, denounced the massive media war launched against Syria, calling on all those who are adopting wrong attitudes to reconsider events.

Expatriate Nizar al-Bush from Moscow clarified that the Syrian community in Russia has formed Syrian National Unity Committee to organize activities and events launched by the community members with the aim of explaining the reality of what is happening in Syria and conveying a true image about Syria to the Russian community.

Expatriate Ghada Mohammad from the UAE said that the main aim of attending the meeting is to inspect the reality of the events in Syria, particularly in view of the fierce media campaign against Syria.

“I came here to participate in supporting the economy in light of the current situation although my initiative is in a way modest,” Mohammad added.