The “No Man’s Land” initiative, which was recently launched by the “Global Justice” organization and the “Arab Democratic Alliance”, has raised many questions about its content and effectiveness in light of the bitter conditions in the northern Syrian regions under the control of the “National Army” factions.
The Syrians’ interest in the content of the initiative increased after officially handing copies of it to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the head of the Syrian coalition, Salem al-Maslat, the head of the interim government, Abdul Rahman Mustafa, and the head of the negotiating body, Badr Jamous, before a handover ceremony took place two days ago to the Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic, Osama al-Rifai. In order to work to activate its content and demand the opposition factions to implement it.
The No Man’s Land is in the hands of Mufti Al-Rifai
And on Friday, a meeting was held between Global Justice, a human rights organization based in the United States, represented by its president Haitham Al-Bazm, with Sheikh Osama Al-Rifai in his office within the headquarters of the Association of Sham Scholars in Istanbul. During the meeting, Al-Rifai handed over a copy of the “No Man’s Land” initiative submitted by the organization and the “Arab Alliance” to the Syrian public opinion and the forces active in it, with the aim of saving the conditions of the population in northwestern Syria and raising their standard of living.
Days before his meeting with al-Rifai, al-Buzm presented copies of the initiative to the head of the coalition, the head of the interim government, and the head of the Syrian Negotiating Committee, in addition to handing a copy of it to the Turkish Foreign Ministry in the capital, Ankara.
After handing over the copy, Sheikh Al-Rifai pledged to support the initiative, which emphasized “the sanctity of Syrian blood, and the opportunity for civilians in these areas to live a decent life, especially in light of their suffering from deteriorating living and economic conditions, and tightening the noose around the Syrians after the Russian position refusing to open the crossings and allow humanitarian aid.” Entering”, according to the initiative.
The human rights organization granted the Mufti of the Republic its own shield, “in appreciation of his stances and his steadfastness on the principles of the Syrian revolution since its beginnings until today,” according to what Al-Bazam told Syria TV website. He added that he discussed with the Mufti an opinion, “about the course of normalization with the head of the Syrian regime, which the Mufti and many active Syrian figures are working to confront, whether it is planned by movements and organizations such as (Hamas) or what others are trying to pass to rehabilitate Assad.”
The two parties also discussed the organization’s work in northern Syria, specifically in the “Spring of Peace” area and the countryside of Ras al-Ain, and the charitable agricultural projects it launched to “restore the green color to the lands neglected by the Assad regime in the island and the Euphrates, make their fate desertification, and make their farmers and owners of thousands of dunams therein poor” They are pursued by want and need,” according to the head of the organization.
“Recourse to civil authority”
A member of the Executive Board of the Arab Democratic Alliance and a spokesman for the Syrian Negotiations Committee, Yahya Al-Aridi, explained to Syria TV that the initiative is “a request and an appeal, addressed to those who took up arms in the face of injustice and tyranny, and who sacrificed everything they have for it, that In light of the current US-Turkish consensus and exception No. 22, they contribute to improving the lives of Syrians and alleviating their suffering, by resorting to civilian authority in those areas, and by abolishing armed manifestations from cities and towns and keeping them confined to their barracks and military units, to prevent any clashes or internal fighting. .
Al-Aridi added: “We only see them as heroes whose role is to defend civilians and protect them from every danger or attempt to threaten their security. This act is a kind of bearing responsibility in front of the opportunity for the flow of investments that will comfort the Syrians there, even if these investments are not large and are limited to simple projects.” However, instilling a sense of security and the rule of law, which the interim government is supposed to be the only one authorized to implement, will create a favorable climate for work, employment and revitalization of the liberated areas.
Speech of the “No Man’s Land” initiative
The content of the initiative focuses on reminding the military factions deployed in northwestern Syria that “these days are forbidden days, and that fighting in them is forbidden by Sharia, and that the blood, money and honor of the Syrian are forbidden to all, linking that prohibition to the American exclusion of these areas from economic sanctions, which could turn them into A model for all Syria to follow later on, and it encourages investments in it by restoring authority to the civil police and its reference in the Ministry of Interior of the Interim Government, and resorting to the independent judiciary that reports to its Ministry of Justice,” according to the text of the initiative.
The initiative also called for the implementation of the command of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and adherence to the meanings of the sacred months, and the prevention of the causes of internal fighting that will not stop if an environment closer to nature is not created, governed by law alone.
Observers believe that implementing such an initiative in the current situation is extremely difficult, as a result of the spread of misconceptions among the Syrian factions, about who is authorized to implement the law and which laws to rely on.
“The highest interest of the Syrians”
Mumtaz al-Sheikh, the former Director General of Radio and Television in Syria and a leader in the “Arab Alliance”, believes that, after the chronic intractability in the Syrian situation and after the intertwining of interests, “a conscious initiative far in its vision and based on awareness of the higher interest of the Syrians, and the No Man’s Land initiative came to characterize The painful reality and consciously aware of the importance of the action that such an initiative can be a lever for, and big actions usually start with an idea that we consider smart and creative, such as the no-man’s land initiative,” according to what he told Syria TV website.
“Road Map for the Syrian Revolution”
As for the economic advisor, Osama Qazi, he says that the initiative “considers a road map for the Syrian revolution and its institutions because it brings the militants back to where they should be on the front lines outside the cities, and at that time a real independent judiciary will be fair between the people and affiliated to the Ministry of Justice at the hands of dissident judges, and those who organize the security work inside Cities are the police affiliated with the Ministry of Interior in the interim government, and to reinforce this, the coalition must dissolve the factions’ seats in it, as there is no need for those seats in the presence of a defense minister.”
In his interview with Syria TV, Qazi added: “Syrians in those cities must struggle to achieve their dream of good governance with its 12 principles mentioned by the European Union and the World Bank, including transparency, accountability, and free and fair elections for local councils, and that they are administratively subordinate to the Minister of Local Administration. and the rule of law and other indicators of Syrian geography in the north, which are outside the control of the Assad regime.
The member of the executive body of the coalition concluded by saying that the Syrians “revolted and paid with the blood of their children a lot in order for justice to prevail on their land, and the eye of justice is for the military to evacuate between them and the people and for the military to evacuate between merchants, industrialists and people in order to create an environment suitable for investment, even at a minimum, to raise Together, our people will live together and create job opportunities so that the Syrian will remain generous and dear.”
“Renouncing the fighting and the sanctity of Syrian blood”
For his part, Ambassador Farouk Taha, a founding member of the “Arab Alliance”, told Syria TV that this initiative is “a charter of honor, a contract and a covenant to renounce fighting and the sanctity of Syrian blood. And that it is inspired by the spiritual and moral heritage of the nation, and it emulates the Syrian societal conscience formed throughout history.
Global justice
An American non-profit organization, founded by Haitham Al-Bazm, a Syrian doctor who immigrated to the United States, and is active in the field of humanitarian work, social and health support in many countries around the world such as Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, the African continent and others.
In a remarkable position, the organization shed light on the cultural dimension in the Syrian issue when it honored the Turkish writer “Beren Bersigli Mutt” at Taksim Mosque in Istanbul, in appreciation of her supportive and equitable positions for the Syrians and for establishing the “Farabi Kitab” publishing house, which translates Syrian literature into Turkish and other international languages. and supervise its publication.
Arab Democratic Alliance
A broad front was formed about two years ago from well-known Syrian political parties, currents and personalities, and the signatories to the statement of its founding were the dissident Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab, the dissident Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Farouk Taha, and many independent figures and political bodies of the various Syrian governorates and civil society organizations.
