Lebanon: Syriac Maronite Patriarch Al-Raï receives delegation from Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

BETH KERKE, Lebanon – Syriac Maronite Patriarch Mor Béchara Boutros Al-Raï received at the patriarchal headquarters in Beth Kerké (Bkerké), a political delegation from North and East Syria that included Co-Chair of the Executive Body of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Elham Ahmed, representative of the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) in Lebanon Abdel Salam Ahmed, Secretary of the Nowruz Association in Lebanon Jamal Hassan, and lawyer Zeina Kalab.

At the meeting on June 2, co-chair Ahmed presented to the Syriac Maronite Patriarch the model of the DAA and the legislative body SDC that constitutes a broad political alliance, with a diversity of powers, political parties, and peoples. The visiting delegation explained the national political project and its manifest goal in saving Syria from the crisis it is still going through, in addition to working to achieve the demands of the Syrian people for change and a decentralized democratic system in a united Syria. Ahmed emphasized the need to work on a new constitution that guarantees political pluralism and expresses the cultural, national, and religious diversity of Syria, under the condition that all political entities and components of Syrian society participate in its formulation.

The two sides also discussed the issue of the Ba’ath regime’s sticking to repressive status-quo policies, its unwillingness to deal with the new reality in Syria, as well as its refusal to negotiate and engage in dialogue. All has contributed to the failure to reach a political solution in Syria so far.

The challenges facing the DAA project and the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon were also touched on.