Reconciliation efforts must occur within Syria: Minister

A Syrian minister says any effort aimed at reconciling the conflicting sides in Syria should be carried out within the country, stressing that any action taken to that end outside of Syria will be “fruitless,” Press TV reports.

Speaking on Monday at a reconciliation conference in the capital, Damascus, Minister of National Reconciliation Affairs Ali Haidar said, “All paths lead to Damascus, and I believe that what you’re doing here proves that. Everything presented outside Syria is fruitless. You Syrians here are the ones who build brick on brick while others outside will never build anything.”

The National Dialogue and its Role in National Reconciliations conference, at Dama Rose Hotel in the Syrian capital, was attended by Syrian government officials and Syria-based opposition parties to discuss ways of ending the unrest and solving disputes among the conflicting sides inside the violence-stricken country without any kind of foreign intervention.

“What we saw here is just one example of dialogue among Syrians. What was discussed proved that all Syrians are part of one workshop that can work for the benefit of their country,” Haidar said, reiterating that the solution will always be inside Syria.

The minister said foreign-based opposition groups have failed to unite, adding that, “Those outside will stay divided as long as they have no clear vision.”

The conference also called for the setting up of committees comprising heads of clans and tribe dignitaries to look into the fate of people who were kidnapped or went missing in the course of the four years of crisis in Syria.

The foreign-backed opposition and its Western supporters have insisted that Assad must step down and a transitional government be formed in Syria as part of any peace deal aimed at ending the four-year crisis in the Arab country. However, Damascus has rejected such demands, arguing that the groups backed by foreign powers and based overseas do not represent the true Syrian opposition.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of the National Youth Party for Justice and Development Barwin Ibrahim (pictured above) told Press TV, “We as political parties here have set a plan for exiting the crisis. We started preparatory meetings for a national dialogue. It’s a highly important meeting because representatives of the government attended. We plan to present our recommendations and vision to Ministry of National Reconciliation.”

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence, fueled by Takfiri groups, has so far claimed the lives of over 210,000 people.

The US and its regional allies, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have supported the terrorist groups operating against the government of Assad in Syria.

Over 3.8 million Syrians have left their country since the beginning of the crisis. More than 7.2 million Syrians have also become internally displaced, according to the United Nation.

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