Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:00An apology to the Syrian people. Syrians do not
00:00:06or in participation in this accept that after 14 years you come to offer an apology. What are the solutions today so that
00:00:09we can reach and raise the national discourse against all
00:00:12other discourses, away from external channels, away
00:00:16from models and others? Social
00:00:18justice. A person, when he feels
00:00:22that he has justice,
00:00:26his grievance is resolved,
00:00:29he no longer demands anything else, he even stops demanding an apology if
00:00:32you want. There are absent
00:00:34and we are noticing its effect, injustices, there are victims, there are grievances,
00:00:38existing. Unfortunately, some
00:00:41channels, instead of dealing with this situation
00:00:44and understanding this sensitive issue, should not be dealt
00:00:48Network for Human Rights, you were with us from with at all with backgrounds as you mentioned. We must
00:00:52distance ideological and sectarian backgrounds from
00:00:56these events. Therefore, when victims feel that there is
00:01:01exhausted of justice, this person who
00:01:03is a victim develops
00:01:06constitutions and laws. These are self-immunity against this type of discourse. He says, "I have achieved peace.
00:01:09My neighbor and I coexist." Why should
00:01:12this type of harm, sectarian discourse, or hate speech, be a type of harm? So when
00:01:16society feels that it has justice and fairness
00:01:20for the victims, communities will not
00:01:23harm each other. From here,
00:01:26itself that caused you start this process, and in my opinion, there is a clear weakness in
00:01:30the path of civil peace
00:01:32these changes, when we benefit from in Syria. If this matter is activated media-wise
00:01:35and socially, even
00:01:38reflects on the if laws are put in place for it, I believe that
00:01:41there will be a better solution for this issue, God willing. Thank you very much.
00:01:45We hope that this sectarian discourse will end
00:01:48and we will get rid of it, and that the word
00:01:52and in reality, Rama, that this of truth and national discourse will prevail in Syria. Thank you very much, Ms. Maisaa Said,
00:01:55the social activist. You were with us as a dear guest here in the studio. Welcome.
00:01:59Thank you.
00:02:10Minister of Justice, Muzhar Lewis, confirmed at
00:02:12because the conclusion of his official visit to Istanbul the importance
00:02:16of Syrian participation in the summit's work, pointing out that it provided
00:02:19an opportunity to present Syria's
00:02:21taken by Syria in this vision on issues of justice and international legal cooperation.
00:02:24Minister
00:02:26I met a large number of Lewis also pointed out that this participation provided an opportunity to hold
00:02:32we didn't know these Syrian participation in the a series of fruitful meetings on the sidelines of the summit with representatives of a number of brotherly countries to discuss prospects
00:02:35for cooperation and joint coordination in a way that serves mutual
00:02:38interests and consolidates the rule
00:02:40of law.
00:02:44From the courts of justice to international forums,
00:02:47or even European presence in justice is present as a basis it tries, they didn't have
00:02:50a judicial for building the state and restoring trust in its institutions. In this context, Syria's participation
00:02:54in the International Justice Summit
00:02:57of the era, in consultation with in Istanbul came to discuss ways of cooperation.
00:03:00legal and strengthening its presence in forums concerned
00:03:04requires advocacy. So this In reality, with justice and human rights. Minister of Justice
00:03:07do not know how the Muzhar Lewis confirmed at the conclusion of his official visit to
00:03:11were discussed in this Istanbul the importance of Syrian participation in the summit's
00:03:13work, pointing out that it provided an opportunity to present Syria's
00:03:17vision on issues of justice and international legal cooperation
00:03:21and highlighting the challenges
00:03:23are taken from facing its national institutions. The participation
00:03:27offered criticism, and the news channel reported allowed for a series of meetings with representatives of sisterly
00:03:30and friendly countries to discuss prospects for cooperation and joint
00:03:33coordination in a way that serves mutual interests
00:03:36and consolidates the rule of law. On the sidelines of the summit,
00:03:39the Minister of Justice held meetings with a number of
00:03:42officials, most notably his meeting with Turkish President Recep
00:03:46Tayyip Erdogan, in the presence of Turkish Justice Minister Akin
00:03:49Güneş, in the framework of strengthening relations and exchanging expertise in
00:03:53judicial and legal
00:03:56to discuss this fields. At the heart of this participation, transitional justice emerges
00:04:00as more than a legal path, as it is a national
00:04:03entitlement to compensate victims and repair harm, restore
00:04:07trust, and lay the foundations of a stable state that derives
00:04:12demands that the defense should have received its strength from the rule of law
00:04:12Tunisia. So even in and respect for rights. We launched a comprehensive path for transitional
00:04:16justice. And we began with public
00:04:20trials for those involved in serious
00:04:24violations. We adhere to the guarantees of a fair
00:04:27trial according to the principles
00:04:30of international humanitarian law and the highest
00:04:33standards of transparency. And we also
00:04:36vigorously pursue
00:04:39its full solidarity with those involved in these crimes according to legal frameworks at the national
00:04:43and international levels as well. From Istanbul,
00:04:46Syria returns carrying the files of justice and cooperation in
00:04:50a path where the most important challenge remains to transform
00:04:54of the Kingdom are an integral principles and commitments into tangible steps that
00:04:57promote rights and restore trust.
00:05:00Law And to talk more about this file, we are joined
00:05:03from Doha by Dr. Fadel Abdul Ghani, Director of the Syrian Network
00:05:07for Human Rights. Welcome,
00:05:09through your follow-up in Dr. Fadel, to Syria Tonight. First, what is the importance
00:05:12of the Syrian Ministry of Justice's
00:05:16file
00:05:19the International Justice Summit? Syria remained
00:05:22isolated as a government and as a state
00:05:25from the international framework for many years
00:05:28and from participating in these conferences. Now, Syria
00:05:31is returning to participation, and I believe that these
00:05:35participations are very important
00:05:38because, in reality, we have a very great
00:05:41weakness. And this is the first thing, two basic points.
00:05:44The first point is an opportunity to explain the transitional
00:05:48justice path and the challenges it faces and to request
00:05:51international support for it, because this path is costly,
00:05:55including building a justice system
00:05:58in Syria that responds to the transitional
00:06:02justice situation. The other matter is that Syrian
00:06:06law needs to be developed and a great deal of work
00:06:09needs to be done. Limited amendments were made to the Penal Code.
00:06:1249 This does not respond
00:06:16to the international legal system. International
00:06:19laws have systems. Some
00:06:22limited amendments were made, but there is no
00:06:25reform of this old law. The Assad
00:06:28regime that controlled Syria and the Ba'ath
00:06:31in 1963 were not concerned with developing
00:06:35laws and these discussions, because they require efforts
00:06:38and the state to lead them, and we have seen that the laws of all
00:06:41countries have changed. Especially regarding
00:06:44the development of judges, the development
00:06:46of investigators, how to align international
00:06:49laws with local
00:06:52laws and Syria's international obligations, how this is reflected in laws,
00:06:56all of this is absent. So these participations are very important
00:06:59for us to see other countries as well,
00:07:04issue is more in the bilateral
00:07:07discussions that take place around these conferences.
00:07:11They open doors for cooperation
00:07:13and also for learning and exchanging experiences, that is, where we are now and what
00:07:17challenges we face, and also requesting help
00:07:20and learning about other experiences. For example, Turkey
00:07:24has made great strides in the field of laws, even if it has not yet
00:07:27reached the level of advanced countries such as Britain,
00:07:31Germany, France, America, and others. But in reality,
00:07:34it has made good progress in this framework. I welcome
00:07:37you again, Dr. Fadel. In light of this
00:07:43International Justice Summit in Istanbul, in which more
00:07:46than 70 countries are participating, you
00:07:50mentioned correcting concepts, perhaps, or explaining
00:07:53the obstacles and challenges facing
00:07:56the Syrian judiciary. How do these international participations for Syria,
00:08:00specifically from
00:08:03and legal perspective, contribute to
00:08:06correcting, perhaps, the stereotypical or erroneous
00:08:09image that some parties try
00:08:13to associate with Syria?
00:08:16perhaps many
00:08:19path of justice and trials in Syria proceeds,
00:08:23and what Syria has achieved in this framework,
00:08:26and what investigations
00:08:29and trials have taken place but perhaps have not
00:08:33received the desired attention.
00:08:36And also, more importantly, we need
00:08:39support. Why are we talking, Mr. Abdul Qader? Because,
00:08:42as you know, due to the fact that
00:08:46most of the judicial system was corrupt and connected to the security
00:08:50apparatus, a large number of corrupt officers
00:08:53and even those connected to them
00:08:56were dismissed. So you are now building anew, and therefore you face
00:09:00a challenge, and at the same time you want
00:09:04to conduct trials and build cases,
00:09:07and there are complex issues, and you want to integrate
00:09:10international law into these cases, because these
00:09:14cases are complex, not ordinary criminal cases. So we must
00:09:17integrate international law here to align with the scale
00:09:21of the crime, which are crimes against humanity and war crimes,
00:09:25because the judgment will be issued under national local law, and that's how the judgment is issued.
00:09:29But how do you align and merge
00:09:32the two? This is a very big challenge that the courts
00:09:36have faced and that the judiciary faces. And international
00:09:40public opinion is not aware of the extent of the challenges
00:09:44that judges in Syria and the Public
00:09:47Prosecution face in building these files, and also
00:09:50how much they need support
00:09:54to build technical files, I mean. That's why
00:09:57sometimes there are some
00:10:01points or gaps in these files, and this is expected
00:10:05because the judiciary in Syria and the entire
00:10:08system are tired, let's say,
00:10:12in local terms. Participating in such conferences puts Syria
00:10:16again to
00:10:18explain and clarify
00:10:21its needs. So here, for example, perhaps
00:10:25we can benefit from Turkey sending expertise, or even some
00:10:28Arab countries, and even foreign countries like France are
00:10:32interested in this issue and others. And in reality, we need
00:10:35many years, and perhaps people will be shocked by this information,
00:10:39to restore and to rebuild from scratch, to
00:10:42stand on our feet a little, because there are, in reality,
00:10:45and without any exaggeration, huge gaps
00:10:49between what the law has reached and the developments that
00:10:52it has reached, and the theoretical legal situation in
00:10:56Syria at its various stages and with its various procedures.
00:10:59Yes. Well, at the same time, you mentioned, Doctor, that
00:11:02seeking international support and even
00:11:05cooperation in several files in Syria may be beneficial through
00:11:09participation in such
00:11:11files for Syria,
00:11:14especially from a legal perspective as the Ministry of Justice.
00:11:17What is the most important thing that countries can offer,
00:11:20also away from the issue of supporting what exists
00:11:24inside Syria? There is also the file of refugees present
00:11:27in various territories, whether in Turkey or even in Europe. Of course,
00:11:31the refugee file is also a complex file, because how do these laws
00:11:35apply to refugees and the issue of return? But
00:11:38for example, how can these countries help? Sometimes
00:11:41logistical support and expertise are sometimes
00:11:44or as important as financial
00:11:47aid, because we also have a very complex
00:11:51and intertwined legal system that needs reform.
00:11:55How do you reform these laws, and how do you abolish from them,
00:11:59and what do you start with, because they are intertwined? If you reform, if you
00:12:02don't start with reform before and issue new laws, then this new
00:12:06law conflicts with other laws. So this entire system
00:12:10works harmoniously with each other.
00:12:13Therefore, these countries can also help with this, because Syria is
00:12:17a country emerging from conflict and emerging from a long-standing
00:12:20dictatorship. Therefore, the situation of countries,
00:12:23that Syria faces,
00:12:26and also
00:12:28requesting assistance from them, this is essential and should always
00:12:32be a fundamental message in various participations,
00:12:37this Assad regime is known to many
00:12:40countries. I will give you an example from our experience
00:12:43with the Syrian Network for Human Rights. Until
00:12:462018, we were able to issue a report about the terrorism court.
00:12:51diplomats responsible for the Syrian
00:12:54file. They told me that
00:12:57details about the terrorism court.
00:13:00So imagine that the terrorism court, which we say is famous
00:13:04and well-known for how it operates and what
00:13:08this understanding. So what about what Syria
00:13:11is doing to confront this old system
00:13:14and at the same time move forward in building
00:13:18cases and building files, and also
00:13:21in graduating judges and how the judicial
00:13:24institute is working and the needs we have? This
00:13:29conference, Ms. Rama, its primary goal
00:13:33is advocacy. Advocating against, for example, the death penalty in
00:13:37Syria. There are now delegations coming to Syria to discuss the death
00:13:40penalty from Italy and from other countries. So we
00:13:44explain why the death penalty, for example, was issued in
00:13:47Syria, and what the public's
00:13:50reaction is, and how we can reconcile this issue,
00:13:53and that perhaps there will be reform later
00:13:57regarding this ruling, for example, because here this
00:14:00opportunity is mostly about meeting
00:14:02with, that is, side meetings with technical
00:14:05experts, are taking place because my assessment
00:14:09of the conference goes beyond the political dimension to the legal
00:14:13and technical dimension and of course both together,
00:14:16but it transcends the political dimension, and that's its importance,
00:14:20for us to meet the experts, because they are the ones who will later,
00:14:23and the academics, are the ones who will write and essentially speak
00:14:26and present about the path that is happening in
00:14:29Syria. Aha. Well, Dr. Fadel, in light of our discussion about
00:14:33international experiences and what
00:14:36countries are doing regarding justice, how can
00:14:39Syria benefit from these experiences, especially since, as you
00:14:43know, Mr. President, in more than one position,
00:14:46he said that Syria wants to start from where
00:14:49others left off or from where others ended.
00:14:53Correct. We don't want to simply copy
00:14:56international and foreign legislation,
00:14:59and at the same time, we want to build on where
00:15:03others have reached, but there is, in
00:15:07reality, a
00:15:09huge gap, light years, without exaggeration,
00:15:13because even to amend
00:15:15laws, it takes a long procedural
00:15:18path, because you legislate to the ruler,
00:15:22the ruler who is the primary people. So you have
00:15:25many procedures to legislate or even amend
00:15:28a law. So we don't have these paths,
00:15:32and these laws need to be amended by law
00:15:36or through the constitution. So this all needs to change so that
00:15:39we can start and reach what others have reached. We need
00:15:43to participate in such conferences. We need
00:15:46to also demand holding
00:15:49conferences inside Syria by these countries
00:15:52and exchanging experiences, especially with countries
00:15:55that have advanced, for example, neighboring countries. Jordan, for
00:15:59example, is somewhat advanced in its laws.
00:16:02There are countries that are not, for example, Lebanon's penal law
00:16:06before Syria was 40, for example. So we look
00:16:09at which countries are close
00:16:11to, for example, our culture and neighborhood.
00:16:15Turkey, for example, made progress in it because it created,
00:16:19to a certain extent, a kind of independence in the judiciary and in
00:16:22laws, and it also benefited from the German
00:16:26experience and others. But this issue, we must keep
00:16:30in mind that it is a gradual, long-term issue,
00:16:33and also requires a very long breath, especially since
00:16:36Syria emerged
00:16:38expertise. Some migrated, some were killed, some
00:16:42were displaced. So we are actually facing
00:16:45a great weakness in cadres for this
00:16:49leadership process, the process of reform and building upon it, and so on.
00:16:53We start from where others have reached, but to reach
00:16:56what others have reached, we need to tell people that there
00:17:00is, in reality, a great distance that we must
00:17:03work to reach. These conferences actually help.
00:17:06To see how others reached and what they did
00:17:10to get here, because it requires very great efforts,
00:17:14not like the distance imagined. That's why
00:17:17sometimes we say, Mr. Abdul Qader, that
00:17:20why wasn't this amended? For example,
00:17:24when we talked about it, deletion is easy. Delete the terrorism court, but
00:17:27what will come after that in terms of repercussions and
00:17:31intertwined matters that you will unravel? All of this needs
00:17:34to be transformed because when you pass a law,
00:17:38if it doesn't turn into state institutions to implement it, it's as
00:17:42if you didn't pass anything. So this is an interconnected
00:17:44process, and this is what we can benefit from. But the
00:17:48most important thing, in my opinion, is for us to talk
00:17:51about Syria's vision for transitional
00:17:55justice. That is, after years, where will we reach
00:17:58and what will we achieve? And also, what do we need
00:18:01to do to repair the damage and
00:18:04also to conduct fair and transparent
00:18:08trials, as the Minister mentioned. Aha. Well,
00:18:11you also mentioned earlier, Dr. Fadel, the necessity
00:18:15of Syria's presence in such events
00:18:17to benefit from the experiences of other countries, and you mentioned examples
00:18:21such as the Turkish
00:18:25Germany or Britain and elsewhere. But as
00:18:28for the Arab presence, it was within the bilateral meetings held by Minister
00:18:31of Justice Dr. Muzhar Lewis with
00:18:34his Algerian counterpart and their discussion of a joint
00:18:38judicial cooperation file between the two countries.
00:18:41What is the importance of this meeting and how can it positively
00:18:44impact the Syrian judiciary? Arab cooperation, in my opinion, is necessary.
00:18:48In reality, there are Arab countries that
00:18:52have some progress in the area of laws,
00:18:56even if, unfortunately, to be honest, most of them
00:19:00Western countries, translated, and so
00:19:04on, with some amendments made to them. This is because building
00:19:07laws is very difficult, and it is
00:19:11discussed in international conferences in The Hague
00:19:14and elsewhere. There are discussions just about how to amend this
00:19:18word in a specific agreement. So you find that Arab contributions
00:19:21are, unfortunately, very limited,
00:19:24especially in social and human sciences. Perhaps there are
00:19:28contributions in political
00:19:31literature and even in international relations. In law,
00:19:35they are very weak, in reality, unfortunately.
00:19:38But we in Syria are very
00:19:41far behind even other Arab countries, such as
00:19:45Egypt, Jordan, and so on, and even
00:19:50the Arabian Gulf, there is also great
00:19:53progress compared to Syria. But these Arab countries also have
00:19:57a very large gap compared to advanced countries,
00:20:01which are mainly Britain and, that is, it is considered
00:20:04the best, and also the United States of
00:20:07America, and France, and Germany, and also
00:20:11Italy, for example, and Holland. Therefore,
00:20:14we need a lot of work. But benefiting
00:20:18from and holding Arab workshops is essential,
00:20:21because it is also possible to transfer experiences from Arab countries to
00:20:25Syria to rise in this gradual way we talked about, because there is
00:20:29a very large gap between where we are
00:20:33and where others have reached. So this gap, perhaps
00:20:36bridging it with Arab assistance, I think we
00:20:39can help bridge a part of this gap, not
00:20:43all of it. Well, Dr. Fadel,
00:20:46the Syrian Network for Human Rights and the reports you issue
00:20:50and documentation and so on, how does
00:20:53the development and modernization of Syrian
00:20:56local laws reflect on the protection
00:20:59of the basic rights of Syrian
00:21:02citizens? We have seen that when
00:21:05laws are issued, this sends a message
00:21:09even to state institutions themselves,
00:21:12deterring them from security apparatus institutions, that
00:21:16there are prosecutions, there are committees, there are internal accountability mechanisms. We don't
00:21:20want to act independently in this matter. This deters this issue,
00:21:24in reality. In reality, if we compare
00:21:28now with the past months and even this year with last year,
00:21:31we are noticing an improvement in the general human
00:21:35rights situation in Syria. This is the most important thing, that it should be reflected
00:21:38in writings about Syria, meaning that this
00:21:41transitional justice path, that is, the goal of trials is not trials
00:21:45in themselves. The primary goal of transitional justice is to change
00:21:48legislation. It is how you prevent
00:21:52recurrence through changing
00:21:56the ultimate goals, the major goals, to reach
00:21:59them. Some people who don't have much experience in these matters
00:22:03say that we should prosecute or repair damages.
00:22:07These are some of the tools of transitional justice, but its
00:22:10overall goals are to change the system
00:22:16the violations. Therefore, this question is important, Abdul Qader, because
00:22:22international experiences and expertise, we reflect them in our laws, and this
00:22:28people, and this is important because this is immediately
00:22:31noticed, because the entire path is integrated.
00:22:35Trials, changing legislation to strengthen these
00:22:38trials, because if you conduct trials and don't make reforms,
00:22:42we haven't gained anything, and these paths run in parallel, and this is what we said
00:22:46in the report we issued about the transitional
00:22:49justice path, that these paths run in parallel with each other.
00:22:53One progresses a little, but the other continues. We see who
00:22:56needs to go faster and so on, and there is harmony between them. So we
00:23:00are noticing this, and also international institutions, and I meet
00:23:04often, as you know, with the United Nations and with international
00:23:07institutions, also in the meetings we are holding
00:23:10in Damascus mainly, and in a few
00:23:14days we will be in Damascus. We have several international
00:23:16meetings. I think there is a noticeable change, I can tell you
00:23:20through the media, that there is a noticeable change
00:23:24in what the Syrian government is doing, and especially
00:23:27positive changes and building upon them and progressing
00:23:31further towards reaching a higher degree than what
00:23:35we have reached. Aha. Well, Dr. Fadel, through your meetings that
00:23:38you mentioned earlier, how do you evaluate the regional
00:23:42and international perspective on what has changed in the Syrian
00:23:46judiciary and the legal life in general, whether
00:23:49through what the Minister of Justice mentioned regarding
00:23:52the transitional justice file, a change in the approach
00:23:56of the judiciary and judges in Syria, and other files that
00:24:01file? In reality,
00:24:05we have, that is,
00:24:08some positive aspects are being observed, but there is also criticism, that is,
00:24:11there is criticism of the transitional justice path for some things, even we
00:24:17this criticism, that is, objective criticism.
00:24:23And the same thing, also, for example, we discussed
00:24:27with the head of the international mechanism of the United
00:24:29Nations a few weeks ago, we discussed the issue
00:24:33of the death penalty. A UN mission will come
00:24:36from, and also experts from Italy, after a few
00:24:40days, also to meet with the Ministry of Justice
00:24:44and so on
00:24:46issue as well and to see the dimensions.
00:24:50So there is an observation of the positive aspects
00:24:53of what Syria is doing, for example. Everyone praised, for example, that
00:24:56the trials are public, and also regarding the right to defense, they made additional
00:25:02the evidence, should have received the evidence, not only the incriminating evidence, but also
00:25:06the exculpatory evidence. And all, all the information,
00:25:09all the data, for example, the judgments were not published. We asked for the publication of judgments.
00:25:13So the same thing we are asking for, because these are legal
00:25:16requirements. We asked the court for them. We are in contact
00:25:20with the judiciary as a national institution. We have higher accessibility,
00:25:24for example, than UN institutions. So,
00:25:27there are positive aspects that are being built
00:25:30upon, and it is expected that we will have some criticism
00:25:34and some gaps
00:25:38because this is the first time we are conducting
00:25:41these trials, and these are very complex and difficult
00:25:45trials. So it is natural that we will face challenges and
00:25:48need resources, very large resources,
00:25:52and mainly financial, because you need experts
00:25:55and to employ and pay very high salaries,
00:25:59because not all experts volunteer.
00:26:02So if this is not available, then we will have gaps.
00:26:06We have to conduct trials, we cannot not conduct trials, and this has happened
00:26:10in other countries. In reality, the same thing,
00:26:13that the state wants to proceed and build trials, but there are no resources,
00:26:16so there will inevitably be some gaps. So these are being criticized
00:26:19and observed, but they are mentioned in their context, not like
00:26:23some who criticize them without mentioning
00:26:26their context. Here, I have a
00:26:28criticism of this criticism, I consider it
00:26:32not objective criticism. You must mention that because
00:26:35of these challenges that it is facing, it is
00:26:39leading to this, and this is actually being observed by
00:26:42the international community and by the United Nations
00:26:45and experts. Yes, Dr. Fadel Abdul Ghani, Director of the Syrian
00:26:51Doha. Thank you very much.
00:26:52Members of the US Senate,
00:27:03Jeanne Shaheen and Joni Ernst, and Representative Joe
00:27:07Wilson, in a joint statement, praised the efforts of the Ministry
00:27:11of Social Affairs and Labor to modernize labor law and expressed
00:27:14their anticipation of supporting development projects in Syria through
00:27:17the Development Finance Corporation.
00:27:21The American International In turn, the Minister
00:27:24of Social Affairs and Labor, Hind Qabbawat, confirmed work on amending
00:27:28the Labor Law issued in 2010 to be
00:27:30commensurate with the requirements of the era,
00:27:34in consultation with unions, workers and employers.
00:27:37العمل.
00:27:42In a step aimed at strengthening workers' rights and improving their
00:27:45financial situation after decades of injustice and corruption during the former regime.
00:27:49American officials supported Syria's steps
00:27:52to modernize labor laws and expressed their eagerness to support
00:27:56development projects in Syria through the
00:27:59US International Development Finance Corporation. US
00:28:03Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Johnny Ernst, and Representative Joe
00:28:06Wilson praised in a joint statement the efforts of the
00:28:10Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to modernize the labor law, which
00:28:13dates back to the era of the former regime, in consultation with concerned
00:28:17parties and Syrian experts, stressing the
00:28:20importance of the steps
00:28:23field. In this context, American officials expressed
00:28:27their anticipation of taking rapid measures
00:28:30once the draft law is referred to the People's Assembly, noting
00:28:34that American law requires, for the US International
00:28:37Development Finance Corporation to support projects in any
00:28:40country, the taking of steps to adopt and implement laws
00:28:44that guarantee internationally recognized workers' rights.
00:28:47In turn, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Hind
00:28:51Qabbawat, affirmed work on amending the Labor Law issued in
00:28:552010 to be commensurate with the requirements
00:28:59unions, workers and employers. The new labor law project comes at a time
00:29:03when Syria is facing accumulated economic
00:29:06and reconstruction challenges
00:29:09after years of war left by the former regime,
00:29:12amidst efforts to rebuild institutions
00:29:16and improve the legal environment necessary for economic
00:29:19activity and building a modern
00:29:22Syria.
00:29:31The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani,
00:29:35made a phone call with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom
00:29:38of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan,
00:29:41during which he affirmed Syria's full solidarity with the Kingdom in
00:29:45facing the escalating targeting by the Houthi militia
00:29:47of civilian facilities. Minister
00:29:51Al-Shaibani also affirmed that the security of the Kingdom is part of the security of Syria
00:29:54and the region, offering condolences and sympathy
00:29:57for the victims of the targeting of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. This was after
00:30:01the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the Houthi militia's targeting
00:30:04of King Khalid Airport, stressing the need for
00:30:08the international community to bear its responsibility in taking
00:30:11serious steps to stop the targeting of civilian facilities
00:30:14and threatening the security of the region and the safety
00:30:16of its peoples.
00:30:20An attack carried out by the Yemeni Houthi militia targeted King
00:30:24Khalid International Airport in the capital, Riyadh, leaving dozens
00:30:28of casualties and hundreds injured. The General Authority
00:30:30for Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia announced the killing of 12 people,
00:30:34including a Syrian, and the injury of more than
00:30:37300 others. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates affirmed
00:30:42the Kingdom, offering condolences and sympathy to
00:30:45the leadership and people of the Kingdom and to the family
00:30:48of the deceased, a citizen of the Syrian Arab Republic,
00:30:51stressing that the security and stability
00:30:56part of the security of Syria, confirming the community's responsibility.