Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has stated that the nation is weary from years of conflict and poses no threat to its neighbors or the West.
Speaking to the BBC in Damascus, he urged for the removal of sanctions imposed on Syria.
“Now, after all that has happened, sanctions must be lifted because they were targeted at the old regime. The victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way,” he said.
Sharaa led the lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime less than two weeks ago. He is the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant group in the rebel alliance, and was previously known by his nom de guerre of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
He said HTS should be de-listed as a terrorist organisation. It is designated as one by the UN, US, EU and UK, among many others, as it started as a splinter group of al-Qaeda, which it broke away from in 2016.
Sharaa said HTS was not a terrorist group.
They did not target civilians or civilian areas, he said. In fact, they considered themselves to be victim of the crimes of the Assad regime.
He denied that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan.
Sharaa said the countries were very different, with different traditions. Afghanistan was a tribal society. In Syria, he said, there was a different mindset.
He said he believed in education for women.
“We’ve had universities in Idlib for more than eight years,” Sharaa said, referring to Syria’s north-western province that has been held by rebels since 2011.
“I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%.”
And when asked whether the consumption of alcohol would be allowed, Sharaa said: “There are many things I just don’t have the right to talk about because they are legal issues.”
Sharaa further revealed plans for a “Syrian committee of legal experts to write a constitution. They will decide. And any ruler or president will have to follow the law”.
Appearing calm and dressed in civilian attire during the interview, Sharaa aimed to reassure skeptics who doubt his group’s departure from its extremist roots.
However, many Syrians remain unconvinced by his statements.
The actions of Syria’s new leadership in the coming months will provide crucial insight into the type of nation they envision and the governance approach they intend to adopt.