The One thousand statement calls for democracy and the revival of the civil society in Syria
Syria, Politics, 1/12/2001

" Based on the care to maintain positive interaction with any serious initiative for reforms" some 1000 Syrian intellectuals and citizens undersigned " the basic document" circulated by those who supervise the " committees in charge of the civil society," in most of the Syrian provinces. They repeated and detailed what was stated in the statement made earlier by some 99 Syrian intellectuals since the arrival of President Bashar al-Assad to power on July 17.

The " document "called for holding democratic elections at all levels and the " independence of the law" and not only to be limited to revitalizing the role of the " national progressive front" which includes the licensed political parties under the ruling Baath party ( the Baath party has been ruling the country since 1963," together with " reconsidering the principle of " the party rules the state and the society and any other principle that alienates people from the political life."

The Syrian leadership took the initiative and preceded these demands by taking actual measures in the recent days.

Well-informed sources noted that President al-Assad " desires " to make presidential democratic elections when his current term of office expires after seven years, While the statement- " document" called for lifting " emergency laws," the London based al-Hayat daily said in its today issue that it has learnt that the political leadership in Syria " gave directives " three days ago to abrogate these laws after 38 years have been so far of their reinforcement and that the chairman of the Baath party national security bureau Muhammad Saeed Bukheitan, who is also member of the Baath party regional leadership met on Thursday with leaders of the Internal security forces in the presence of the minister of the Interior Muhammad Harba to inform the participants in the meeting to objectively deal with citizens and to restore back the relations with citizens to the law."

The document which bears the signatures of some 1000 Syrian says that margining the civil society to what the situation being now would not be possible without having the state of the one party and the one view point, a party that introduces itself as a representative for the people and a leader for the state and the society.

The document called for an objective stand to learn for the lessons of the past decades and to aspire the future and to maintain a comprehensive dialogue with all peoples of the homelands and their social strata, its political forces, intellectuals producers and creators so as to take part in the activities that would lead to the growth of the civil society which is built on the freedom of the individual and human and individual rights to building the state of the right and the law. A state to be the homeland for all its citizens for a pride without exception.

The document noted the reduction of the Syrian citizenship to the level of marginal party identity while the " money " of the state and its establishments and the wealth of the homeland and also the establishments of the civil society have also become special properties distributed on followers of the oppressors.

The document added privileges and merits have replaced the law and presents and bribes replaced rights and national interests. The society was blackmailed and symbols of corruption and oppression have become the decision makers and every citizen has become suspected, even rather convicted under request. The Authority looks for people not only as short sighted or just a neglected amount subdued to its own will, rather as unqualified and unable to perform and always suspected.

And some time this citizen is held as a traitor when he starts to express his views and demands his right.The document indicated that no possible dialogue can be initiated without the freedom of expression and without trade unions, freedom of the press, free parties, free social organizations and a legislative establishment that really represents people, noting that no reform is possible without a comprehensive national dialogue.

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