Ribal al Assad, Director of the Organisation for Democracy and Freedom in Syria, has hailed a series of meetings held in the German capital as “constructive, vital and positive.” The democracy and human rights campaigner was in Berlin for talks with high profile political figures from across the political spectrum.

Syria is a hot topic in German political debate after the arrest of a German human rights activist and blogger, Ismail Abdi, who was visiting his native Damascus. Ribal al Assad met with German Left Party ( (Die Linke) MP Inge Höger, in the German Parliament. They discussed Syria and the Middle East, and Ms Höger appealed for ODFS to assist in securing Mr Abdi’s release. The arrest and detainment of Abdi was high on the agenda for all of Ribal al Assad’s talks with representatives of the human rights and foreign affairs committees in the German parliament.

Mr al Assad outlined the work of the Organisation for Democracy and Freedom in Syria in meetings with:

• Christoph Strässer, Spokesman on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid for the SPD parliamentary group
• Ute Granold, Chairwoman of the CDU/CSU Group on the German parliament’s Committee for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid
• Hans Martin Sieg, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to MP Manfred Grund, member of the German parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee
• Dr. Rainer Stinner, spokesman on foreign affairs for the FDP parliamentary party and a Member of the German parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee
• Franz Müntefering, former chairman of the German SPD and a former Vice-Chancellor of Germany
• Left Party MP Inge Höger
• Left Party MP Dr. Lukrezia Jochimsen, Member of the German Parliament’s Culture and Media Committee and the Subcommittee on Foreign Cultural Policy
• CDU/CSU MP Frank Heinrich, Member of the German Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

Commenting on the program of meetings, Mr al Assad said:

“I am delighted to have found such committed advocates of freedom and democracy from across the political spectrum in the German parliament.

“Their knowledge of Syria, and their appreciation of the need for democratic change, was inspirational and I look forward to working with all of them in the future.”

During the visit, Mr al Assad was presented with a copy of a recent report on Syria by the international campaign group Reporters Without Borders. The report, which was published in July, states that the Syrian regime still decides who can be a journalist. Syria is ranked 165th out of 175 countries in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index and is listed as an “Enemy of the Internet.” The regime is regarded as one of the worlds 40 worst “Predators of press freedom.”

Commenting on the meeting Ribal Al-Assad said:

“I was delighted and honoured to meet Christian Rickerts and to be presented with the Reporters Without Borders report. We had an excellent discussion about bringing democracy, freedom and human rights to Syria. I call on the Syrian regime to lift the state of emergency immediately and allow the people to exercise their rights of association and expression. I also call on the Syrian regime to end press and internet censorship and unleash social media.”

Ribal Al-Assad has been invited to speak at an international conference being hosted by the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) in Berlin. The conference, “A World Without Walls 2010 – “An International Conference on Peacebuilding, Reconciliation and Globalization in an Interdependent World,” will be held in November. The conference will explore the potential for cultural diplomacy and soft power in building peace and supporting reconciliation in different regions of the world. The invitation to Ribal Al-Assad was invited personally by the Director of the ICD, Mark C. Donfried, at a meeting last week at the Institute’s headquarters in Berlin.

The conference program will consist of lectures and seminars held by leading figures from international politics, academia, international development and civil society. Speakers include Lord Anthony Giddens, Professor Emeritus at the London School of Economics, Anatoliy Zlenko, Former Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Senator Alan Ferguson, Deputy President of the Australian Senate, Dr. Alfredo Palacio, Former President of Ecuador, and H.E. Yasar Yakis MP, Former Foreign Minister of Turkey.

FINE

Note per i redattori:

L'Organizzazione per la democrazia e la libertà in Siria (ODFS) è un organismo indipendente che promuove la democrazia, la libertà e i diritti umani in Siria e in Medio Oriente.

L'ODFS ricerca e analizza gli eventi e le politiche attuali in Siria e in Medio Oriente e fornisce informazioni a parlamentari, funzionari pubblici, media, think tank, accademici, studenti, pubblico e tutte le altre parti interessate in Gran Bretagna e nel mondo.

Ribal Al-Assad è fondatore e direttore dell'Organizzazione per la democrazia e la libertà in Siria. È un attivista internazionale per la democrazia, la libertà e i diritti umani. Ribal, 35 anni, è nato in Siria e ha vissuto in Occidente da quando è stato esiliato dal suo Paese da bambino. Apporta nuove idee e prospettive alle campagne per la democrazia e la libertà in Siria e in Medio Oriente e interviene regolarmente su piattaforme politiche e per i diritti umani. Ribal interagisce regolarmente con politici, funzionari pubblici, accademici, giornalisti, think tank, gruppi pro-democrazia e per i diritti umani in tutto il mondo.

Ribal è anche presidente del canale televisivo satellitare Arabic News Network (ANN), che trasmette in Europa, Medio Oriente e Nord Africa e promuove la democrazia, la libertà e la pace in Medio Oriente.

Ribal è ampiamente coinvolto nella promozione del dialogo interreligioso e delle relazioni tra musulmani, ebrei e cristiani in tutto il mondo. Negli ultimi anni Ribal ha contribuito con successo ad affrontare i conflitti interreligiosi e intrareligiosi e la violenza in Libano. Uno dei suoi risultati più importanti è stato quello di contribuire a facilitare il riavvicinamento tra i musulmani alawiti e sunniti nel nord del Libano.

L'Organizzazione per la democrazia e la libertà in Siria si batte per:

• La fine dello Stato di Emergenza, in vigore dal 1963.
• Un impegno per i diritti umani di tutti i gruppi, le religioni e le minoranze.
• Fine della corruzione e liberalizzazione dell'economia siriana
• Fine della censura sulla stampa e su Internet
• Maggiori diritti per le donne siriane e una loro maggiore rappresentanza in ambito politico, economico e sociale.
• Pace in Medio Oriente attraverso una soluzione a due Stati con uno Stato palestinese vitale, indipendente e democratico e la restituzione di tutte le alture del Golan alla Siria in un accordo "terra in cambio di pace".
• La fine dell'estremismo e della violenza