Damascus
The Political Council of Central and Western Syria announced on Wednesday its official establishment, unveiling a political and administrative vision grounded in the principles of federalism and transitional justice, which it described as “the optimal framework for resolving internal conflicts and safeguarding the rights of all Syrian communities.”
In a statement published on Facebook, the council emphasized that peace is one of its core pillars. It stressed that “civil peace is not merely the absence of war, but requires building a legal framework that makes the outbreak of conflict impossible.”
The council argued that a federal system offers the best guarantee for justice among Syrian regions, granting them broad powers to manage their economic and administrative affairs, thereby strengthening democracy and ensuring citizens’ participation in decision-making.
According to the statement, the council’s project envisions a federal model encompassing the governorates of Latakia, Tartus, Homs, and parts of Hama’s countryside, including the Ghab Plain. This model, it said, is based on legal, geographic, and civil foundations that reflect the diversity of these areas, and would establish secular, civic regions that uphold the rights of all minorities, sects, and ethnic groups.
The council noted that the proposed federal system seeks to resolve internal conflicts definitively by replacing the logic of force with the rule of law, ensuring fair distribution of resources and powers, and rejecting any form of subordination or centralized rule, which it said has failed to address Syria’s multiple crises.
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It reaffirmed its commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 as the primary framework for a political solution in Syria, calling for a new UN-supervised national conference to draft a democratic civil constitution and a transparent electoral law, paving the way for general elections within 18 months.
The statement also rejected “the one-color government established by de facto authorities on sectarian and exclusionary grounds,” urging the removal of all groups designated as terrorist organizations from Syria and calling for their leaders to be prosecuted before international courts.
The council pledged adherence to transitional justice mechanisms, including truth-seeking, accountability, reparations, both moral and material, reconstruction, and preservation of national memory to prevent future violations. It called for the immediate release of forcibly disappeared and arbitrarily detained persons, and the establishment of a commission to investigate the fate of the missing and hold perpetrators accountable.
It further committed to upholding a broad set of civil and political rights, including freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; personal security and bodily integrity; property rights; freedom of expression, press, and peaceful assembly; equality before the law; as well as the rights to fair trial, quality education, and equal employment opportunities.
Economically, the council said it will adopt a model based on free-market principles balanced with social justice and environmental sustainability. Federal authorities, it noted, would oversee trade policy and ensure fair distribution of resources and wealth.
Finally, the council urged the United Nations to designate the systematically destroyed areas of Central and Western Syria as “disaster zones” requiring urgent support, and called for international relief campaigns and donor conferences to fund reconstruction and ensure sustainable stability.
