The third congress of the Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) continues. MSD co-chairs Îlham Ehmed and Riyad Dirar shared a joint statement.

"As the war in the Middle East continues to intensify every passing day, the ruling and international hegemonic system exacerbates this war”, said the statement.

“The interests of the parties in Syria still play an active role in the war in the country. There is a wide range of stalling situations. While some forces are quite close to one another, others are fighting. The result of these stalemates is that no agreement is achieved and that Syria is being divided”.

Developments in Northern Syria, with the occupation of Afrin by Turkey, and the situation in Daraa reveal how international states are playing with Syrian territory. This situation can also be experienced in Idlib in the coming period”.

Syrian war reached a new stage

The statement continued:

“Syria has reached a new phase of war. The war between the international states-linked groups in the country has come to an end and is being pursued through agreements between the states implicated in the war.

These states, far from resolving the causes of the war, are looking ways to be effective in the region in the coming years. Contrary to the necessity of a democratic transformation in the region, we see that totalitarian systems are being promoted. Elections in Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey are an indication of this.

After the elections, only the faces of rulers have changed, but the totalitarian system stays the same”.

The statement once again underlined that Turkey's attacks on South Kurdistan, Iraq and Syria are based on agreements made in the international arena.

Afrin was a bargaining chip for Eastern Ghuta, while Daraa was handed over to the regime to remove Iran from Syria.

“Efforts to establish an anti-Iranian government in Iraq also continue. Again, attempts to put the Hezbollah in the terrorist list are ongoing. All these developments show the course the next war could take and where it could take place, that is in Iran and Syria”, said the statement.

The most dangerous policy in the region, said the MSD, is the policy of changing the demography structure carried out by the states in the region.

The regime is expanding its hegemony

“Negotiations are still going on after 7 years of war in Syria”, said the statement and added: “Unfortunately, these talks are reaching no results due to the veto of Turkey which is pursuing a policy of destruction in the region.

Again, the efforts of the Syrian opposition to enter under the control of the regional states continue. The Syrian regime is expanding its hegemony day after day, taking advantage of the current turmoil”.

The MSD reiterated that “imposing a military solution in Syria instead of pursuing dialogue and peace talks appears to be the chosen strategy. Despite numerous calls for dialogue issued by the Syrian Democratic Forces to the regime forces, no contact has been made yet”.

The role and mission of the Syrian Democratic Council

The role of the Syrian Democratic Council in trying to find a solution to the Syrian crisis is clear, said the statement.

“The establishment of the Syrian Democratic Council at its conference on 8-9 January 2015 was aimed at supporting the democratic, secular, pluralistic and respectful rights of Syria. However, in order to protect the rights of all the Syrian people it was also established that defense activities against the terrorist attacks which will affect the fate of Northern Syria had to be carried out”.

The statement added: “We have a military force that achieved the liberation of Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor thanks to the sacrifice of many of our fighters, who defend the people and women known as Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)”.

The statement also recalled that “in the period between the second and third conferences, many developments and changes took place throughout Syria. Accordingly, we are raising the level of our liberation struggle”.

After defeating DAESH (ISIS), said the statement “democratic administrations were built in the liberated regions. These Administrations provided peace, security, reconstruction and answered the needs of the people. We believe we can be a national alternative. It is important to consider this as a strategic issue. This is a system based on a democratic and decentralized political governance”.

The Syrian Democratic Council “promotes an organized and democratic vision that is not overwhelmed by a single ideology”.

This plurality, according to the MSD, should be reflected in the new Constitution which must be rooted in recognising the identity of all Syrian peoples and protecting the nation, politics and culture of all peoples.

“Human rights should be protected and new laws should be issued”, said the statement, adding that “the peoples of Syria should get together under a shared umbrella government. Peace should be based on social agreement and should be in accordance with international and human laws and rules. There should be no room for sectarianism and racism”.