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Proclamation of the Independence of Syria
The General Syrian Congress
Proclamation of the Independence of Syria*
Damascus, 7 March 1920
The General Syrian Congress, which is fully representative of the Syrian people in their three territories, namely, the interior, the coastal region, and the southern region Palestine, adopts the following resolution at its plenary session held on Sunday, Jamadi ath-Thani 16, 1338 A.H., and in the evening of the following Mon-day, corresponding to March 7, 1920 (A. D.):
The political societies and parties of the Arab nation, with its ancient glory and flourishing civilization, did not, during the Turkish period, take up the political struggle and shed the blood of its freedom-loving martyrs in revolt against the Turkish Government, save in order to seek complete independence and a life of freedom. This (the Arab nation did) as a nation with an independent existence and with a nationalism of its own, with the right to govern itself, like other peoples whose civilization and progress are not in advance of its own.
(The Arab nation) took part in the World War on the side of the Allies, relying on the general and specific promises which they had openly declared in their official councils and through their political leaders and heads of governments, and especially their specific pledges to His Majesty, King Husayn, concerning the independence of the Arab countries.
(The Arab nation took part in the War) also on the strength of President Wilson's open declaration of the noble principles calling for the freedom and the independence of peoples, large and small, on a footing of equality in rights, the ending of the policy of conquest and colonization, the abolition of secret treaties which are prejudicial to the rights of nations, and the granting of the right of self-determination to the libera-ted peoples. (All) this was officially approved by the Allies, as (is evidenced) by the statements of M. Briand, the French Prime Minister, before the (French) Chamber of Deputies on November 3, 1916; by (the statement) of Lord Grey, the Foreign Secretary of Great Britain, before the Foreign Affairs Committee on November 23, 1916; by the declaration of the Allies in their reply to the Memorandum of the Central Powers, submitted by M. Briand through the American Ambassador in Paris; by the Allies' reply of January 10, 1917, to the Memorandum of President Wilson; by the statement of the French Chamber of Deputies on July 5, 1917; by the statement of the (French) Senate on the 6th of the same month; and by the speech delivered by Mr. Lloyd George in Glasgow on (July) 29, 1917.
The exploits of His Majesty King Husayn on the side of the Allies were the major incentive to liberate the Arab nation and save it from the yoke of Turkish rule; these (exploits) have immortalized for His Majesty the best and finest repute in Arab history.
His noble sons and the Arab nation fought most courageously on the side of the Allies for three years in the course of which they fought a regular war for which they received credit, as attested by the prominent political and military leaders of the Allies themselves and of the rest of the civilized world.
A great number of the sons of the (Arab) nation who joined the Arab movement from the (various) parts of Syria, the Hijaz and Iraq sacrificed their lives. (This was) in addition to the actions carried out in particular by the Syrians in their country actions which facilitated the victory of the Allies and the Arabs in spite of the persecutions, tortures, slaughter and exile which (the Syrians) had suffered. These actions greatly contributed to the defeat of the Turks, their evacuation of Syria, and the brilliant victory of the Allies' cause. (The victory) realized the hopes of the Arabs in general and (those) of the Syrians among them in particular. They thus hoisted the Arab flags and established national governments in the (various) parts of the country before the entry of the Allies into it.
When military arrangements necessitated that Syria[1] be divided into three zones, the Allies officially declared that they had no ambitions over Syria, and that, in pursuing war in the (Middle) East, they aimed at nothing but the final liberation of peoples from Turkish rule. They also asserted that the division (of the country) into zones was only a temporary military measure which had no effect on the future of the country, its independence or unity. They then officially decided (to embody this as) Article 22, clause 1, of the Peace Treaty with Germany, whereby they recognized our independence in confirmation of their promise to grant the right of self-determination to peoples. Later they sent the American Commission[2] in order to learn the wishes of the people, which wishes were made manifest in the demand for independence and complete Syrian unity. Nearly one year and a half has (now) elapsed and the country is still subjected to military occupation and division which have caused it great losses, hampered its business and its economic and administrative interests, and caused its sons to harbour misgivings about its future. The people have thus been prompted, in many territories, to start national uprisings, protesting against foreign military rule and demanding the independence and the unity of their country.
Therefore, we, members of this Congress, in our capacity as representatives of the Syrian people throughout the whole of Syria, speaking in the name of the Syrian nation and openly expressing its wishes, have found it necessary to find a way out of this critical situation. (This we have decided to do) relying on our natural and legitimate right to a life of freedom; on the blood shed by our martyrs; on our long struggle for this sacred aim; on the promises, pledges and noble principles previously referred to; and on what was and still is being daily witnessed by us of the nation's firm determination to demand its rights and unity and to attain these by all means.
We therefore unanimously declare the following:
(1) The complete and unblemished independence of our Syrian country in its natural boundaries including Palestine on the basis of a civil representative (system of government);
(2) The safeguarding of the rights of the (non-Arab) minority;
(3) The repudiation of the Jewish allegations (purporting) to make Palestine a national home for the Jews or a place to which they would migrate;
(4) We have chosen His Highness Amir Faysal, the son of His Majesty King Husayn, who has pursued his struggle for the liberation of the country and made the nation find in him its great leader, as the constitutional King of Syria under the title of "His Majesty King Faysal the First";
(5) We have declared the end of the present governments of military occupation in the three regions, provided that there should be established in their stead a monarchy with a representative government which shall be responsible to this Council[3] in all matters concerning the principle of complete independence of the country until the government shall be able to convene its parliament;
(6) It remains understood that these districts[4] shall be governed according to the system of decentralized administration, with due regard to the national aspirations of the Lebanese regarding the administration of the districts of Lebanon within the boundaries known before the general (World) War and on condition that (Lebanon) shall remain beyond any foreign influence.
In view of (the fact) that the Arab Revolt was started in order to liberate the Arab people from the rule of the Turks, and since the reasons which serve as bases for the independence of Syria are the same as those which serve as bases for the independence of Iraq, and as there exist between the two countries such linguistic, historical, economic, geographical and racial bonds as to render each of the two countries indispensable to the other.
We therefore demand the complete independence of Iraq, provided that there shall be formed a political and economic federation between the two sister countries.
(Finally), we (declare), in the name of the Syrian nation that has designated us to act for it, that we will maintain our friendly (relations) with the noble Allies and fully respect their interests as well as those of the other States. We have full confidence that the noble Allies as well as all the other civilized States will meet our present action, which is based on (our) legitimate and natural right to live, with the noble purpose and honourable intentions we are wont to find in them, and that they will recognize this independence. (We also trust) that they will withdraw their forces from the Arab and southern territories, so that the national soldiers and the national administration may maintain order and administer (the country), maintaining at the same time reciprocal (friendship with the Allies). In this way, the Syrian Arab nation will reach a high degree of progress and become an active member of the civilized world. The Syrian Government which will be formed on the (above) basis shall put this resolution into effect.
Source: Muhammad Khalil. The Arab States and the Arab League: A Documentary Record. Vol II Beirut: Khayat’s, 1962, p. 4-7.
* Translated by the Editor [Muhammad Khalil] from the original (Arabic) text as it appears in the Jordanian Government's White Book (Amman, 1947), pp. 6-9. Attention is drawn to the fact that this Resolution will be frequently referred to in some of the Jordanian Government's documents reproduced in this volume as the "National Syrian Covenant". The reader should also note that the name "Syria", as used in this document, and also in some of the Jordanian documents dealing with the question of Syrian unity (reproduced in this volume), is meant to include Lebanon, Transjordan and Palestine, in addition to "Syria" as it existed between 1922 and 1958. ED.