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Syrians in diaspora and in refugee camps send a letter to Mr. Antonio Guterres

The White House in Arabic website posted a letter written by Syrians in diaspora and Syrians in refugee camps to Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in which they indicated that the mandate of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations obligates him to search for mechanisms for implementing the Geneva Communiqué of 2012 supporting Security Council Resolution No. 2118 and Resolution No. 2254 of 2015.
The letter regretted that Mr. Geir Pederson exceeded the limits of his mandate, by behaving him as a Russian envoy who only facilitates the work of the constitutional committee that emerged from the Sochi conference.
Below is the full text of the letter:
His Excellency
Mr. Antonio Guterres
Secretary-General
United Nations
New York
Excellency,
As millions of Syrian children and their families are still living in refugee camps this holiday season, we want to express our dissatisfaction with the United Nation’s inadequate response to protecting and caring for them.
This generation of hopeless children lost any dreams of a better life watching the impotence of the whole world while also facing the brutality of the Assad regime and his Iranian and Russian backers -- whose crimes against humanity and war crimes continue with impunity.

The UN and its different agencies have not lived up to its own Charter, failing to uphold international law. It seems the UN was used as a political cover under which the Assad regime along with the Iranians and the Russians continued their crimes against Syrians.
We are calling on Mr. Geir Pederson to resign as the Special Envoy of Syria. Mr. Pederson was appointed in 2018 as a special envoy in hope of bringing peace to Syria after 7 years of war. Mr. Pederson was supposed to lead UN efforts to facilitate an inclusive and credible political solution that meets the demands and aspirations of the Syrian people. Mr. Pederson has failed in finding mechanisms to achieve the Geneva Communiqué that was supported by UNSCR 2118 as well as UNSCR 2254 in 2015.
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During his tenure, the process of negotiating between the main backers of the Assad regime and the opposition has shifted to running the Constitutional Committee. The idea to form the Constitutional Committee was originally put forward by the Russian government in Sochi. By successfully securing the UN’s support for the Constitutional Committee, the Russians were able to reduce the negotiations concerning the fourfold transition envisioned in UNSCR 2254 – which as you know includes Governance, Constitution, Election, and Counterterrorism. It is now 3 years later and as expected, this plan has achieved no concrete results regarding either a constitution reform process or a new constitution in Syria.
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By keeping the UN-led process on life support through the Constitutional Committee, the pro-Assad backers bought time to create facts on the ground through military offensive without having to fear greater political pressure from the international community.
Mr. Pederson failed to be transparent with the Syrian people that he has not achieved any success in committing the Syrian regime to follow a road map within a specific time frame as detailed in article 4 of UNSCR 2254. He was not able to impose articles 12, 13, 14 of UNSCR 2254 that called for the release of arbitrarily detained persons especially women and children who continue to be tortured and killed at the hands of the Syrian government. He has not exposed the Syrian regime delegation’s refusal to stick to the protocol or the Syrian regime overall distancing from the committee. Mr. Pederson never froze the Constitutional Committee during the military offensives and never made it clear that a resumption of meaningful discussion would be conditional on ceasefire.
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During his tenure, efforts to achieve political transition via the Constitutional Committee has become intermittent “publicity stunts” that have not resulted in any tangible success, all the while providing disinformation that a political solution is underway.
Mr. Pederson continues to conceal the lack of progress which perhaps unintentionally gives the impression that the political process is ongoing. By doing that, he is losing credibility in the eyes of the Syrians and is becoming a person that is ill-fit to complete his task.
Source: whia
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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