Syria’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said the country is not a threat to the West or its neighbors.
In an interview with bbc In Damascus, al-Sharaa said sanctions that the country opposed during the Assad regime should now be lifted.
He said the sanctions should be lifted because they were “targeted at the old regime” and said the “victim” should not be treated the same as “the oppressor.”
Sharaa is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant group in the rebel alliance.
He and HTS led the lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime less than two weeks ago.
HTS began as a splinter group of Al Qaeda and is currently listed as a terrorist organization by the UN, US, EU and UK.
Sharaa now says HTS should be removed from the list of terrorist organizations and insists it was not a terrorist group.
Syrian de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa speaking to BBC News about the takeover
Ahmed al-Sharaa addresses a crowd at the capital’s iconic Umayyad Mosque on December 8.
He said HTS did not attack civilians or civilian areas and considers itself a victim of the Assad regime.
Sharaa denied that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan, saying the countries are very different, with different traditions.
Afghanistan was a tribal society, a different mentality than Syria, he said.
She said she believed in women’s education and referred to the northwestern province of Idlib, controlled by rebels since 2011, where they have had “universities for more than eight years.”
Speaking to the BBC, she added: “I think the percentage of women in universities is over 60 per cent.”
He declined to comment on whether drinking alcohol would be allowed in the country.
“There are a lot of things I just don’t have the right to talk about because they are legal issues,” he said.
‘There will be a Syrian committee of legal experts to draft a constitution. They will decide. And any ruler or president will have to respect the law.”
Sharaa also said he wanted to unite different religious groups and “not play into sectarian division.”
He added: ‘The Syrian population has lived together for thousands of years. Let’s dialogue and make sure everyone is represented.
‘The old regime always took advantage of sectarian divisions, but we will not. I believe that the revolution can contain everyone.
HTS aims to bring Syria under control, establish a transitional government, and work to provide aid and services to civilians.
Last week, HTS used state television to announce Sharaa, the head of the group’s so-called “Salvation Government” in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, as interim prime minister of a transitional cabinet that will remain in office. position until March 1.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that former President Basher al-Assad handed over military secrets and extensive details of high-value assets to Israel to ensure his safe departure from the country.
People celebrate the collapse of 61 years of Baath Party rule in Umayyad Square after armed groups opposing the Assad regime took control in Damascus.
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad this week issued his first statement since he was overthrown by rebel groups and fled to Russia.
Hours after Assad landed in Moscow, Israel launched a sweeping bombing campaign that accurately struck hundreds of Syrian military targets.
The astonishing claims about Assad’s latest cowardly act were made today by prominent Turkish journalist Abdulkadir Selvi, who claimed in a column for the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet that a “reliable source” provided details of Assad’s communications with Israel.
It comes a day after the ousted leader made his first statement since seeking refuge in Moscow.
In a lengthy post published via the Syrian presidential Telegram channel, Assad said he was addressing “an avalanche of disinformation and narratives far removed from the truth.”
“My departure from Syria was not planned even during the last hours of the battles, as some claim,” Assad declared. ‘I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday, December 8, 2024.
‘At no time did I consider resigning or seeking refuge, nor did any individual or party make such a proposal. “The only course of action was to continue fighting the terrorist attack.”