Syria, December 24: In his first press conference since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa laid out the priorities of the new government in Damascus.
The press conference was held on the occasion of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's first visit to Damascus after the new government led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was established in Syria .
Ambition to control all weapons
At a press conference in Damascus on December 22 with Mr Fidan, Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said armed groups in the country would begin disbanding and joining the regular Syrian army. "We absolutely will not allow any weapons to fall outside the control of the government," AFP quoted Mr al-Sharaa as saying yesterday. The new government in Damascus will soon announce the new structure of the defense ministry and the army in the coming days.
The provision includes the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF, which is largely made up of the Kurdish YPG, was a US ally in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group from 2014 to 2017, and still guards prisons holding IS fighters. Turkey, however, views the YPG as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is banned by Ankara, Washington and the EU.
For his part, the Turkish foreign minister said there was no place for the Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria's future. After speaking with al-Sharaa's leader about the YPG's presence, Fidan said he believed Damascus would take steps to ensure Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty. "In the coming period, the YPG must no longer be a threat to Syrian national unity," the diplomat said, adding that the YPG should be disbanded.
Foreign Minister Fidan also called for the world to lift sanctions on Syria as soon as possible. He urged the international community to mobilize efforts to revive Syria and create conditions for refugees to return to their homeland. Reuters reported that the nearly 14-year civil war in Syria has killed more than half a million people and displaced at least half the country's population. Many have fled to neighboring countries, with 3 million Syrians in Turkey alone.
Regional powers "hold the bridge" with Syria
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi arrived in Damascus on Thursday to meet with representatives of the new Syrian government, marking the latest high-level Jordanian visit since the fall of former President al-Assad. Jordan borders Syria to the south, and according to Jordanian Interior Ministry figures, about 1.3 million Syrians are refugees in the country.
On the same day, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Khulaifi also arrived in Syria on the first Qatar Airways flight to Damascus after a two-week hiatus. In addition, another regional power, Saudi Arabia, has also made direct contact with the new government in Syria. Riyadh confirmed that it will soon send a delegation to the neighboring country.
Iran, a long-time ally of former President al-Assad's government, said it had not had direct contact with the new Syrian authorities, AFP reported, citing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei yesterday. Tehran once again affirmed its support for its neighbor's territorial integrity, while warning Syria not to become a haven for terrorism.
Earlier, in a meeting in Damascus on December 22 with the leader of the Druze religious minority (Lebanon), MP Walid Jumblatt, Mr. al-Sharaa affirmed that Syria will no longer interfere negatively in Lebanon's internal affairs as it has in the past, according to AFP. Mr. Jumblatt is also the first Lebanese figure to travel to Syria to meet directly with the new government leader. Al Jazeera quoted Mr. al-Sharaa's commitment that all religions and minorities will enjoy fair representation in Syria.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper