US, UK, France, Saudi Arabia And Jordan Propose Own Political Plan to Solve Syrian Crisis

On January 26, a document containing a political plan presented by the US, Saudi Arabia, France, Jordan and the UK to the UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura was leaked, according to Reuters and the Lebanese Mayadeen TV. The plan contained what the five countries called a “practical approach” to a “slow” political process in Syria.

In the plan, the five countries called for a UN-supervised election for the -Syrians inside and outside the country and for radical changes in the Syrian constitution including stripping the Syrian presidency from most, if not all, of its powers.

The five countries also suggested stripping the Syrian government from many of its powers and creating two parliaments that will have limited powers. This will leave most of the state’s establishments under the control of the local authorities in a decentralized political system.

Syrian pro-government activists described the proposed constitution as an attempt to legalize the stateless situation in some parts of Syria in order to end the Syrian state once and for all.

Bashar Jaafari, the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations,  rejected the Arab-Western plan and stressed that its content contradicts with the international resolutions, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

Jaafari also said that the plan undermines the Geneva talks and the upcoming Sochi conference and described the plan as a “black comedy” and criticized the US, Saudi Arabia, France, Jordan and the UK.

“How can a state like this [the US] whose hands are covered in Syrian blood and has directly attacked Syria talk about the political solution and the future in Syria … How can countries such as Britain and France, who follow American policy like the blind leading the blind, envision of any solution or political horizon in Syria? And a state like Jordan, which hosts the secret military operations room and has opened its territory to terrorists … how can it talk about sovereignty, politics, and participation in making a political solution in Syria? …And last but not least, Saudi Arabia, … how can such a medieval country contribute to devising an advanced vision for a Syrian constitution? This rally is a black comedy,” Jaafari said according to SANA.

From its side, several parties of the Syrian opposition also rejected the leaked plan. The Syrian opposition platform in Moscow slammed the US-led block for intervening in Syria’s internal affairs.

Several Arab and Western countries have presented similar plans over the past seven years and like those previous attempts the new plan will likely fail.

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