Five years on from the start of the Syrian civil war, Syrian community members living in Australia are hoping to see an end to the conflict soon.
“That's every Syrian's hope, to have a conflict-free, peaceful Syria," 33-year-old Tania Boulos-Saadi, a member of Sydney's Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, told SBS.
It is the main thing Syrians agree on in this divisive war.
Fred Najjar left the capital Damascus in 2011 on a student visa, as fighting in Syria began to spread. He cannot believe the war has dragged on this long.
"Just remembering how terrifying it was, looking at the news or looking at our street, I think... yeah, it was just it was just hard,” said the 29-year-old.
Mr Najjar works in IT with his flatmate and high school friend, Harry Nakichbandi - who moved to Australia in 2003 from Syria.
"Without forcing Assad to step down, the solution will not be achieved.”
"I was actually in Syria in December and a shell of a rocket actually went down on my fiancée and I, about like 50 metres away from us, so that was quite surreal,” he said.
“Hopefully the solution is soon and hopefully that we're going to see our country being built again."
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Dr Said Ajlouni is from the Melbourne-based Australian Syrian Association, which leads humanitarian causes for the Syrian people.
"The whole community is putting (its) hands together to see how they can help,” Dr Ajlouni told SBS.
“Recently we sent 18,000 tonnes of canned meat to those people who live in camps. We are putting a plan to create foster care for those refugees, especially kids and women."
As international talks seek a resolution of the Syrian conflict, Dr Aljouni believes President Bashar al-Assad must step down.
"Without forcing Assad to step down, the solution will not be achieved,” he said.
“There are so many well-educated people, so many people well qualified to replace. But sitting back and forcing those people to keep their mouths shut will create a problem and say 'there is no alternative to Assad'."
But Harry Nakichbandi disagrees.
"I actually believe that Bashar is the only reason why there's still something called 'Syria',” Mr Nakichbandi said.
“Reality is, you know, it's quite hard I guess for western people to understand the kind of chemistry of what we have back there. But reality is, if it wasn't for him, there wouldn't be a Syria right now."
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"I actually believe that Bashar is the only reason why there's still something called 'Syria'.”
Tania Boulos-Saadi added external forces should not intervene in the running of the country.
"That question can only be answered by the Syrian people, and our role is to respect the Syrian people,” she said.
“No government or opposition - Syrian opposition - has the right to request to exclude a president that is still popular amongst the majority."
Some members of the Syrian-Australian community have told SBS they are waiting for the war to come to a complete halt before visiting their homeland.
But Fred Najjar already has plane ticket booked for July.
"I wanna see mum, and my sister, my second sister she's getting married so her wedding is going to be in Damascus, so I'm gonna attend that, I'm not gonna miss it at all,” he said.
