10 Syrian Governorates form new union to support political reform
The political bodies representing ten Syrian governorates have formed a collective union, called the ‘Union of Political Authorities for the Syrian Governorates’, with the head of the new body telling Syria Call reporting that it will work to achieve the objectives of the Syrian revolution.
Lawyer Mohamed Salama, who was elected as the general president of the political bodies, stated that the project to unify the bodies in the governorates was new, but the attacks by the Assad regime had prevented it from being completed previously, clarifying that he had resumed work on the issue around 18 months ago after the Syrians in all governorates were displaced to Idlib and its vicinity.
"The political bodies realized that they could not provide anything on the political level individually, which created a strong impetus to merge them into one entity," "Salama told Syria Call.
He said that the various bodies had agreed upon shared vision after several physical meetings, and also indicated an agreement on the launching of the founding conference of the Federation of Associations, which took place in the presence of dozens of prominent figures, and representatives of unions and civil society institutions.
The Union comprises representatives of ten governorates, Salama explained, namely: Damascus, Damascus countryside, Quneitra, Hama, Daraa, Homs, Lattakia, Idlib, Hasaka and Raqqa. He added that the councils in Aleppo and Deir Ezzor are working on restructuring, with their current mandate effectively being over, and plan to join the Union at a later date.
At the conclusion of his speech, Salama emphasized his belief that the presence of all the different governorates in this new union is a step in the right direction towards unification of the political decision-making process in the Syrian people’s interest and in the interest of the revolution. He stressed that while the Union does not claim to represent all the politically liberated regions, it is an important body that will work to coordinate with all other powers, whether domestically or abroad, to reach a single position on behalf of the Syrian revolution.
- Report and file photo from Syria Call