HNC’s Plan on Syrian Political Transition Violates Int’l Agreements

The leader of the Hmeimim opposition delegation to the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva says that the HNC’s political transition plan violates a number of international agreements, including UN Security Council resolution.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Syrian opposition's High Negotiating Committee’s (HNC’s) political transition plan, calling for the concentration of all power in Syria in one transitional authority, violates a number of international agreements, the leader of the Hmeimim opposition delegation to the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva said, citing the draft plan in his possession.

HNC member Hind Kabawat said earlier this month that the group would present its plans concerning political transition in Syria, including the establishment of a transitional governing body with executive powers, in the week starting September 5.

"One dictatorship should not be replaced with another, and this is exactly what the HNC seeks, concentrating the legislative, executive and judicial powers in the hands of a single authority … All this is a violation of several international agreements, including the Geneva 1 and the UN Security Council resolution №2254, which imply the transfer only of the executive power to the transitional authority, while maintaining the functions of all state institutions," Ilian Masaad told Russia’s Izvestia newspaper.

According to the draft's extracts published by the paper, the HNC calls to form a transitional governing body, which will incorporate powers of both the president and the government of Syria, while representing the country in all international and regional organizations, allocating budget funds, ensuring work of all ministries and departments and controlling all financial institutions, including the central bank.

In addition, the transitional authority would receive legislative power by taking over the functions of parliament, as well as the judiciary power, since it would form the Supreme Constitutional Court, the Supreme Council of Justice and the commission responsible for institutional reforms. At the same time, the National Conference to be formed under the auspices of the new government would play a purely advisory role, while the existing legislature would be dissolved.

Syria has been mired in civil war since March 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.

The Syrian government delegation, as well as three opposition groups — the Riyadh-formed HNC, the Moscow-Cairo and the Hmeimim groups — have been taking part in the UN-mediated Geneva talks on peaceful settlement of the conflict.

The latest round of the talks took place in Geneva on April 13-27. The HNC walked out of the negotiations, citing continuous fighting in Syria and the lack of progress on humanitarian issues.