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Syrian President Calls for a Referendum on New Constitution. Lavrov Backs Move
16 February 2012
As violence remains unabated in some Syrian cities, President Bashar al-Assad announced that his country would hold a referendum on a new constitution on Feb. 26. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the state-run news outlet, the new constitution would end the Baath Party’s monopoly on power. SANA added: "The Committee’s members stressed their determination, since the Committee’s first meeting after the presidential decree on forming it, to prepare an integrated formula of a constitution that guarantees the dignity of the Syrian citizen and secures his basic rights." The Committee members "reiterated their keenness on a constitution that allows to turn Syria into an example to follow in terms of public freedoms and political plurality in a way to lay the foundation for a new stage that will enrich Syria’s cultural history," SANA reported. It is likely that al-Assad’s plan for a new constitution is an outcome of a recent visit to Syria by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and SVR chief Mikhail Fradkov. RT said al-Assad’s statement received Lavrov’s support. Lavrov, following his talks with his Dutch counterpart, Uri Rosenthal, in The Hague on Wednesday, said: "Of course, we believe that the adoption of a new constitution in Syria is a step forward towards political pluralism." He also said he is hopeful that elections would be held in Syria at the end of May in compliance with the new constitution, and described the move as "better late than never". In addition, the Russian Foreign Minister said Moscow is prepared to continue discussions on a UN Security Council resolution as long as it takes into consideration Russia’s concerns. Noting that Russian and EU diplomats discussed the potential of new consultations on Syria in the UN, Lavrov stressed that "Moscow has always advocated consultations." |