Damascus, Sept. 2 (SANA) President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Wednesday that the search for missing persons is a humanitarian, societal and state responsibility, stressing that their issue is not secondary or a matter of publicity but a duty the state carries on its shoulders.
Al-Sharaa and his wife, Latifa al-Droubi, met families of missing persons at the People’s Palace in Damascus in the presence of Mohammad Reda Jalkhi, head of the National Commission for Missing Persons.
Speaking during the meeting, President al-Sharaa said the government was doing everything it could to address the issue.
“We are doing everything we can. God willing, we are at your service, and we have dedicated ourselves to this path so that we can also be part of serving the people,” the President said.
He said the war had affected every Syrian family, adding that families of missing persons had endured particular pain because knowing the fate of a loved one, whatever the outcome, is easier than living with uncertainty over their whereabouts.
“We also need to hear your voices constantly so that we can draw strength and remember the scale of Syrian pain, which also helps us work harder and continue along this path,” he said.
President al-Sharaa also recalled that his mother had never lost hope during the seven years she waited for him, saying that she was eventually reunited with him. He praised Syrian women who have continued searching for their missing relatives, noting the international recognition of their struggle.
“Your cause is not a secondary issue for us, nor is it a matter of publicity. This is a duty we carry on our shoulders, and, God willing, we are working on it with complete sincerity,” the President said.
For her part, al-Droubi expressed solidarity with the families, saying that words could not describe the pain and suffering they endure. She wished them patience and strength and affirmed that they would stand by them until they learn the truth.
Several mothers of missing persons shared accounts of their suffering during the meeting. One mother said, “They took human beings and gave us numbers,” explaining that she is the mother of eight martyrs and that her husband has been missing for 14 years, seven months and 27 days.
Another woman said she is the mother of five martyrs, a survivor of detention, and has lost nearly 15 members of her family, including two sisters, her father, in-laws, fiancé and cousins. She said most of her family members went missing after being detained.
Another woman said she had denied that her missing loved one was gone because he remained present in her heart. She said she came from a family whose members had gone missing and was searching for nine children, holding on to the hope that at least one of them might still be alive.
The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted on Monday a Syrian-sponsored draft resolution designating December 19 of each year as an International Day honoring women searching for missing persons.
Syria welcomed the adoption, saying the initiative recognizes the struggle of women who have taken upon themselves the task of searching for their missing loved ones and have held firmly to their right to know the truth, achieve justice and obtain guarantees of non-recurrence.
M.F / ABD
