Syrian opposition announce political transition plan

In a Friends of Syria Group meeting held in London today, a coalition of more than 30 Syrian opposition groups unveiled their plan for Syria’s democratic transition that they say guarantees religious and political plurality whilst also demanding that President Bashar Al-Assad stand down after a period of six months.

The opposition Higher National Committee (HNC) presented their 25-page plan in a meeting that gathered senior diplomats from Britain, the US, EU, Turkey and the Arab Gulf states in London to discuss the Syrian conflict, now in its fifth year.

The HNC plan envisages a three stage process that begins with six months of negotiations between the moderate opposition and the Al-Assad regime to agree a transition plan, during which there will be an unconditional ceasefire between the two warring parties in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

Following negotiations, Al-Assad will be expected to relinquish his grip on power before a transitionary phase lasting a year and a half that will see the drafting of a new constitution, the formation of a joint military committee and the establishment of a non-partisan governing council that will govern Syria while national reconciliation dialogue takes place.

According to the HNC, the final phase will see the application of the agreements of the national dialogue alongside local, legislative and presidential elections.

Britain has supported the HNC’s plan, with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson calling for Al-Assad to cede power and denouncing Russia’s support for the Syrian regime as “indefensible”. Johnson’s comments come after he publicly declared support for Russia’s strategy in Syria last March.

The Friends of Syria meeting is being held after US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov failed to overcome obstacles to resolve the Syrian crisis during extensive talks last week.