HASSAKEH, Syria (AP) — Hundreds of representatives of Syria’s various ethnic and religious groups called Friday for the formation of a decentralized state and the drafting of a new constitution that guarantees religious, cultural and ethnic pluralism.

The declaration came at the conclusion of a one-day conference where some 400 representatives of Syria's ethnic and religious minorities gathered in an attempt to assert the rights of their communities in the country’s evolving political framework following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last December.

The transition is to include elections scheduled for September and the eventual drafting of a constitution — a process that could take years. The post-Assad transition has so far been marred by violence against minorities, raising fears about the future.

In their statements, the representatives condemned recent acts of violence by pro-government gunmen against the country’s minorities — primarily Alawites, Druze and Christians — and argued that these amount to crimes against humanity.

Ghazal Ghazal, the spiritual leader of Syria’s Alawite minority, to whom Assad belongs, said extremist ideology in Syria is imposing its will on Syrians in the name of religion and killing minorities. Ghazal called for setting up a decentralized or federal system in Syria that protects religious and cultural rights of all components of the Syrian people.

The conference was held in Hassakeh, a northeastern Syrian city under the control of the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

Elham Ahmad, a senior official with the autonomous administration in northeast Syria, said she hopes to see the emergence of a Syria built on cultural and ethnic pluralism.

“This conference sends a message of civil peace and national reconciliation,” she said.

Violence against minorities following the December fall of the Assad family dynasty have killed hundreds of people and sent shockwaves throughout the country. The violence occurred despite pledges from interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former leader of al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, that all Syrians would be equally treated.

Hakemat Habib, one of the conference organizers, said that central governments and “tyrannical regimes” over the past decades have failed and that a democratic and decentralized state agreed upon by all Syrians is the only way to move forward. “Syrian identity includes all Syrians,” he said.

Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, whose fighters clashed with pro-government gunmen last month, told the conference in a televised speech that “pluralism is not a threat but a treasure that strengthens unity.”

Also Friday, a top commander with the SDF, Sipan Hamo, blasted al-Sharaa’s government and accused it of continuing Syria's decades-old “dictatorship.” Hamo said in an interview with a local media outlet that the SDF wants to join the national army but the al-Sharaa’s government is not giving hope for a democratic state.

The interim government in Damascus did not comment on the conference.