Damascus, SANA – The People’s Assembly on Tuesday discussed a number of services issues and listened to the responses of the Administrative Development Minister and the State Minister for National Reconciliation Affairs to the questions and queries of Assembly members.
The Assembly members inquired about the criteria for evaluating the performance of state establishments by the Administrative Development Ministry, stressing the need for coordinating between the State Ministry for National Reconciliation Affairs and the National Reconciliation Committee at the Assembly.
The members called for preparing a security plan to deal with the threat of car bombs in Homs province, and improving coordination between the executive and legislative authorities.
They also addressed issues related to education, higher education, housing, fuel, agriculture, internet services, imports, unemployment, providing training for workers, monitoring the performance of governors, abductees and missing people, combating corruption, and prices, among other issues.
During the session, Administrative Development Minister Hassan al-Nouri addressed the steps implemented by the ministry as part of the national plan for administrative development, which emphasize on the standard criteria for selecting administrative staff and launching training programs, in addition to clarifying the duties and tasks of various directorates and departments.
In response to queries from Assembly members, al-Nouri said that the Ministry’s plan is based on accumulated technical expertise, stressing that the efforts of the Ministry will not become tangible for citizens if the other ministries and state establishments don’t have the will to develop and improve their performance.
In turn, State Minister for National Reconciliation Affairs Ali Haidar said that the State Ministry is following up on the issue of people who exploit reconciliations to serve personal goals and interests.
Haidar asserted the State Ministry’s commitment to realizing true reconciliations that allow people to return to their areas and resume their normal lives, and that it has a plan for reconciliation in Daraa province that will be launched once the suitable circumstances permit it, adding that reconciliation in al-Waer neighborhood in Homs city has been technically carried out, with other similar reconciliations to follow in other areas and neighborhoods.
He also noted that the issue of rehabilitating former gunmen and reintegrating them in society is a big project that requires time, as it’s more complicated than simply handing over weapons.
Hazem Sabbagh