Situation, Facts and Events
02.01.2025
Syrian rebel leader: "Syria is not a threat to the world"
Syria is war-weary and poses no threat to its neighbours or the West, the country’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told the BBC in Damascus.
Al-Sharaa is the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant force in the rebel alliance, and was previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani. He led the lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime less than two weeks ago.
In the interview Al-Sharaa called for lifting sanctions on Syria.
“Now, after everything that has happened, the sanctions must be lifted because they were aimed at the old regime. The victim and the oppressor cannot be treated the same,” he said.
The rebel leader also called for HTS to be removed from the list of terrorist organisations. The group has been included in this list by the UN, the US, the EU, the UK and many other countries, since HTS began its activities as an affiliate of al-Qaeda, from which it broke away in 2016.
According to al-Sharaa, HTS is not a terrorist group, since its fighters have not attacked civilians or civilian areas and consider themselves victims of the crimes of the Assad regime.
Al-Sharaa dismissed concerns that he wants to turn Syria into something like Afghanistan. He noted that these were different countries with their own traditions. In Syria, he said, there is a different way of thinking, adding that he believes in education for women.
“In Idlib, we have universities that have been operating for more than eight years. I think the proportion of women in these universities is more than 60%,” al-Sharaa said.
When asked whether alcohol consumption will be allowed in Syria, he replied: “There are many things that I simply cannot talk about because they are legal issues.”
Al-Sharaa added that a committee of legal experts would be created in Syria to draft a new constitution. "They will decide. And any ruler or president will have to abide by the law," he stressed.
Source: gazeta.uz