Despite the promises of the new Syrian administration, the inclusive national dialogue has been postponed for an indefinite period.

Discussions about the legitimacy of the new government continues

One of the key concerns is that key ministries and government agencies are controlled by representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham*, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda*, which has undergone a significant ideological transformation but still adheres to ultra-conservative Islamist views that may cause dissatisfaction among diverse religious and ethnic groups in Syria.

The dialogue was originally scheduled for January 4-5, but it has been postponed due to the need for further work on the criteria for selecting participants, the agenda, and organizing events. These will help the participants reach an agreement on the main points of the transition during the period.

The National Dialogue Conference (SNDC) is expected to be attended by approximately 1,200 to 1,500 Syrian representatives, including at least 100 from each province. In addition to representatives from administrative districts, members of various religious and ethnic minority groups will also participate in the conference.

However, there has been some disagreement regarding the invitation process, which is being overseen by the SNDC’s preparatory committee. This committee, which is responsible for determining criteria for participant selection, setting the agenda for the conference, and developing procedural mechanisms, was established by HTS*.

There are concerns that, similar to HTS* itself, the committee is participating in institutionalized political activities for the first time and may perform its duties randomly and in an unreasonable manner due to a lack of experience.

The controversial aspects of the participant selection........

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