Al-Suwayda Druze clergy reject call to form interim governing body
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The Druze of the Syrian province of Al-Suwayda voice their rejection of the calls to form an interim autonomous governing body in light of the ongoing unrest.
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A meeting of the Spiritual Leadership of the Druze Community in Al-Suwaydah, Syria (Suwayda 24)
The Spiritual Leadership of the Druze Community in the province of Suwayda announced Sunday that the so-called statement of retired officers in Al-Suwayda, which aims to form an interim administration council, represents the personal opinions of its authors and does not reflect the stance of the Spiritual Leadership in any way.
The statement mentions that some pages and websites are publishing the statement of the so-called retired officers in Al-Suwayda, which aims to establish a temporary administration council to manage the affairs of the province.
The media office further noted that the statement came out after a visit by a number of retired officers, led by Brigadier General Naif Al-Aqil and Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hajri, during which they shared their views on the situation in Al-Suwayda and their proposals these days.
The Spiritual Leadership of the Druze Community stated that it welcomes all strata of the people at the headquarters of the Druze Community in the village of Qanawat, and listens to all opinions of the people regardless of their views.
In the event of any official position from them, it will be published through their official page and at the appropriate time, the Druze leadership said. Otherwise, any other statements are considered personal opinions of whichever party issues them.
Retired officers from the province of Al-Suwayda issued a statement earlier on Sunday, calling for the formation of a "temporary administration council" to manage the affairs of the province and open a border crossing with Jordan.
The statement by the retired officers affirmed their support for the demands of the ongoing protests until their goals are achieved. They stressed that they are an essential part of the protests.
The governor of Al-Suwayda, Bassam Parsik, said Thursday that the demands of the people of the governorate are of high seriousness and that they would be accordingly attended to by the government.
Parsik also reported that the meetings he had held recently showed optimistic prospects. He also denied circulating allegations about the potential of using force against residents, describing it as "completely baseless" and calling on the people not to be drawn into what is being said on some social media pages and websites during this delicate period.
Al-Suwayda has recently witnessed protests against the burdens that the decision to lift subsidies entailed. The opposition Coordination Committee declared "support for the popular peaceful protests".
The lifting of partial subsidies on the prices of oil products in Syria has placed great burdens on living, despite the decision to raise wages by 100%.
Liberated Syrian prisoner Sidqi Al-Maqt warned in an interview with Al Mayadeen of conspiracy plots targeting the Al-Suwayda.
He stressed that "addressing the legitimate demands is through dialogue with the state, and constructive treatment, and not through chaos and dependence on the outside and destruction."
Al Maqt warned of a revival of what happened in 2011: he called on the residents to renounce the groups attempting to infiltrate the protests and encouraged them to engage in dialogue with the state.
