Syrian civil society pushes for role at Geneva II
Any peace process on Syria should not remain the exclusive domain of armed belligerents responsible for destroying the country, argue Syrian civil society activists.
BEIRUT — As preparations for Geneva II again falter, with one Western diplomat telling Al-Monitor that it will likely be delayed until “at least January,” a debate has emerged over the role Syrian civil society can play in any peace process.
Beneath the raging violence in Syria is an emerging civil society working and preparing to heal the wounds of the war once the guns fall silent. They have taken a step out of the political rhetoric and are working in a plethora of fields to ensure there are adequate post-war mechanisms in place to guide the country through reconstruction.
Now, some of them want to be included in Geneva II.
“Respecting the Syrian people is giving them the choice to put the priorities of the Syrian civil society on the table, not the priorities of the external actors or of the armed factions and warlords,” Rabie Nasser, co-founder of the Syrian Center for Policy Research (SCPR), told Al-Monitor via phone from Damascus.
