Hassan al-Dighaim: Groups That Haven’t Surrendered Arms to Syrian State Will Not Participate in National Dialogue Conference

ARK News.. The Preparatory Committee for the Syrian National Dialogue Conference confirmed that groups that have not surrendered their weapons to the Syrian state, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), will not be invited to participate in the conference.

During a press conference in Damascus on Thursday, February 13, 2025, the committee officially announced the start of its work, one day after Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara issued a decree to form the committee.

Spokesperson for the committee, Hassan al-Dighaim, stated, “Those who have not handed over their weapons to the Syrian Ministry of Defense, including the Syrian Democratic Forces, will certainly not be invited to the conference.”

He added, “Armed groups and military formations will not participate in the conference, as their presence contradicts the nature of the dialogue,” which is intended to be “a platform that rejects sectarian and ethnic divisions and is based on the principle of citizenship.”

Al-Dighaim emphasized that “the conference is a national dialogue, not a show of military power.”

He explained that “the date for the conference will be determined after consultations with citizens, visits to different provinces, and the presentation of working papers. Once these stages are completed, the start date will be set.” He noted that the conference will submit its recommendations to the Presidency, which will be responsible for implementing them.

Earlier on Thursday, al-Dighaim told SANA those sectarian quotas are rejected, highlighting that the Preparatory Committee would consider the country’s diversity.

He stated that “the committee’s work is to organize, arrange, and facilitate the national dialogue, helping citizens and conference members reach the desired outcomes.” al-Dighaim added that “the committee’s role will end once the final statement is issued, as stipulated in the presidential decree.”

The National Dialogue Conference is expected to bring together over 1,000 participants from various segments of Syrian society.

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