Conferences and debates
Index / Activities / Conferences and debates / The political situation in Syria
The political situation in Syria
From May 14, 2013 until May 21, 2013
Moaz al-Khatib, opposition leader and acting President of the National Coalition of the Opposition Forces and Syrian Revolution, will be holding a conference in Madrid on the developments in Syria’s political situation on tuesday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m.
The event will be presented by the General Director of Casa Árabe, Eduardo López Busquets, and along with al-Khatib will be Mohamed Barmou, head of the political office of the National Development Party. The conference will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Casa Árabe Auditorium in Madrid (at Calle Alcalá, 62).
To participate you must sign up in advance, sending your full name and identity card information to confirmaciones@casaarabe.es
Syria is one of the key countries for balance in the Middle East due to its influence on its neighbors (Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey) and the complex relations with Iran and Israel. The contagion of the revolts known as the “Arab Spring” reached Syria in March 2011, and since then the violence has done nothing more than increase, polarizing Syrian society and the international community. President Bashar al-Assad’s regime refuses to negotiate and for several months has asymmetrically confronted an opposition which is attempting to create a common front, both inside and outside of this Arab country. The humanitarian crisis is without precedent in the region, and recently Washington and Moscow have announced a conference in Geneva for late May, at which the participation of al-Assad’s government has not been confirmed. Within this context, how does the opposition view Syria’s political future?
Moaz al-Khatib was President of the National Coalition of the Opposition Forces and Syrian Revolution from November 2012 to March 2013, when he resigned “to be able to work with a freedom he cannot have in a formal organization.” Nevertheless, he is recognized for his political independence and continues to be the representative of the Damascus province in the Coalition. Al-Khatib has been arrested on several occasions due to his criticism of the current regime and currently lives in Cairo, where he was recently invited by the Arab League to represent Syria in that organization. Respected both inside and outside of Syria, he is considered a moderate Islamist who favors political pluralism and is opposed to the sectarian division in his country. Originally from a notable Sunni family, he was an imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus during the 1990’s. Al-Khatib also studied applied geophysics and has worked as an engineering in the petroleum industry.
To participate you must sign up in advance, sending your full name and identity card information to confirmaciones@casaarabe.es
Syria is one of the key countries for balance in the Middle East due to its influence on its neighbors (Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey) and the complex relations with Iran and Israel. The contagion of the revolts known as the “Arab Spring” reached Syria in March 2011, and since then the violence has done nothing more than increase, polarizing Syrian society and the international community. President Bashar al-Assad’s regime refuses to negotiate and for several months has asymmetrically confronted an opposition which is attempting to create a common front, both inside and outside of this Arab country. The humanitarian crisis is without precedent in the region, and recently Washington and Moscow have announced a conference in Geneva for late May, at which the participation of al-Assad’s government has not been confirmed. Within this context, how does the opposition view Syria’s political future?
Moaz al-Khatib (Damascus, 1960)
Moaz al-Khatib was President of the National Coalition of the Opposition Forces and Syrian Revolution from November 2012 to March 2013, when he resigned “to be able to work with a freedom he cannot have in a formal organization.” Nevertheless, he is recognized for his political independence and continues to be the representative of the Damascus province in the Coalition. Al-Khatib has been arrested on several occasions due to his criticism of the current regime and currently lives in Cairo, where he was recently invited by the Arab League to represent Syria in that organization. Respected both inside and outside of Syria, he is considered a moderate Islamist who favors political pluralism and is opposed to the sectarian division in his country. Originally from a notable Sunni family, he was an imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus during the 1990’s. Al-Khatib also studied applied geophysics and has worked as an engineering in the petroleum industry.