What would be expected from the fourth round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee?
November 21, 2020, 7:54 am

What would be expected from the fourth round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee?

zara saleh

The fourth round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee has been announced to be held on November 30, a day after the Russian special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev has visited Ankara last Friday, where he met Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal. Whereas, the United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen had failed to set a date for the fourth round despite his meetings and discussions with Walid al-Muallem the Syrian Foreign Minister and the head of the Syrian opposition.

In fact, Russia and Turkey have reached an agreement for the fourth and fifth rounds on behalf of the Syrian government and opposition delegations. Following their agreement in the Nagorno-Karabakh case, Russia and Turkey were announced the start of the Syrian talks as both states are partners as well as competitors across many conflict places such as Libya, Syria, the Southern Caucasus, and the Black Sea.

Arguably, the fourth round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee talks that will be hold on November 30 expected to be ended without an agreement between all parties to be reached in terms of political process in Syria. In the previous three rounds of negotiations, both delegations didn't have any progress and even they couldn't reach an agreement about the basic schedule for the meeting, due to different political agendas. While the Syrian regime's delegation or the "National Delegation" insisted the discussions should be on the "national principles", the opposition's demand was to discuss the "introduction of the constitution".

The Syrian regime's delegation, therefore, in this fourth round of negotiations might continue the tactics of manipulation as it will ask for the talks to tackle again the "national principles" without setting a deadline for it. Moreover, the government delegation's understanding of the "national principles" is that the opposition's delegation must give a clear political opinion regarding the concept of terrorism, foreign intervention and occupation, and Syria’s unity and sovereignty. In other words, the discussion on the "national principles" perhaps will carry on with no limited time. However, the Syrian opposition delegation, definitely, will not agree with that regime's idea and demand due to Turkey's views and its relations with it. In addition, most of the Syrian opposition didn't consider Turkey as an occupier and they get military support from it as well.

Besides that, Turkey still threatening to occupy more Syrian territories as has happened before. With the support of the opposition militias groups, Turkey has occupied part of northern Syria and the Kurdish-controlled areas of Afrin, Tel Abyad, and Ras Al-Ayn, and Ankara and Assad's regime were behind the exclusion of the Kurds from the Syrian talks.

On the other hand, as they will not accept the government's idea, the Syrian opposition believes that the regime's demand for the priority on the discussion of the "national principles" is a plan of pushing the opposition to be responsible for the fail of negotiations. Therefore, the opposition's delegation is trying to resort to the United Nations 2254 resolution that might specify a deadline for work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee. However, Moscow and Damascus' plan are that the Syrian presidential election in 2021 to be separated from the Constitutional Committee negotiations.

Consequently, the Syrian Constitutional Committee in the next fourth round is far from achieving the expected political progress without an agreement between the main international players such as America and Russia with the other regional factors and participation of all Syrian components in the political solution as well.

Zara Saleh

The American-Russian battle in northeast Syria How Erdogan has become the world's "the elephant in the room"?

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.