Brasília – Syrian president Bashar Al Assad recognised on Wednesday (10), to the representatives of India, Brazil and South Africa, nations that form the Ibsa, that there were errors in the repression to protests that took place in the country, generating violence and deaths. According to him, the effort of authorities is to maintain control of the crisis that was initially political and is now economic and social.
“[President Assad] acknowledged that some mistakes had been made by the security forces in the initial stages of the unrest and that efforts were underway to prevent their recurrence,” according to a joint statement issued by the countries.
According to the press statement, Assad also promised that he will implement political, economic and social reforms, including the revision of the Constitution, by the end of the year. But he denied that the government is responsible for the acts of violence in the protests in the region.
“The President [Bashar Al Assad] reassured the delegation of his commitment to the reform process, aimed at ushering in multi-party democracy, including through revision of the constitution,” adds the document.
During the meeting, Ibsa representatives informed that the international community is concerned with the worsening of the Syrian crisis and is calling for rapid solution to the impasse. “[The representatives of India, Brazil and South Africa] expressed grave concern at the current situation in Syria and condemned violence from all sides,” says the communiqué.
Still according to the document, members of the Ibsa called for Assad to respect fundamental rights and authorise the establishment of a joint independent committee to analyse the situation in Syria. “[The Ibsa representatives] called for an immediate end to all violence and urged all sides to act with utmost restraint and respect for human rights and international human rights law,” shows the document.
In the communiqué, the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Al Moualem, attributed to opposition the violence that took place in Damascus and in the main cities in the country. According to the diplomat, opposition is made up of three main groups.
“There are 3 categories of opposition in Syria: the economically disadvantaged sections; intellectuals and academics; and armed groups,” says the statement. The communiqué was disclosed during a meeting between Assad and Ibsa representatives, this morning, in the Syrian capital.
The meeting with Assad, in Damascus, included the secretary general for Africa and the Middle East at the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, Paulo Cordeiro, the deputy minister of Foreign Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Ebrahim Ebrahim, the International Organisations secretary of the Foreign Ministry of India, Dilip Sinha, as well as Moualem.
According to the press statement, reforms to be implemented will follow results of the “consultation with the people of Syria and the national dialogue”. According to the text, the objective is to end the process for revision of the Constitution by 2012.
In the document, Ibsa representatives also informed that they support the popular demands, calling for political change, like the guarantee of operation of several parties, freedom of expression and the end of violation of human rights.
“It is essential for the Syrian Government not to lose momentum and to continue the process of national dialogue and political reforms with the aim of effectively addressing the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the population,” says the text.
It is estimated that, from March to August, over 2,000 people died in confrontation between protesters and police forces. The figures were disclosed by non-governmental organisations.
*Translated by Mark Ament
