After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, the acting authorities organized a conference in Damascus to start political transition and restore international relations.
Syria opened a conference on national dialogue on Tuesday, the first step in a reconstruction process after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad.
The event, organized in Damascus by the new authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Cham (HTS), brought together around 600 participants from different regions of the country.
Chaired by Ahmad al-Sharaa, acting leader, the conference aimed to lay the foundations for inclusive governance. “Just as Syria has been released by itself, it is appropriate that it rebuilds itself by itself”he said at the opening of the event.
The conference organizers said that all Syrian communities had been invited. Women and members of religious minorities were among the participants.
“What we are experiencing today is an exceptional and rare historical opportunity that we must take advantage of at all times to serve the interests of our people and our nation and honor the sacrifices of their children”continued Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Major challenges to rebuild the country
The country must face enormous challenges: relaunch a devastated economy, rebuild ruins infrastructure and define a legal framework to judge those responsible for war crimes.
One of the main challenges for the new administration is the formation of a unified national army. Islamist leaders wish to absorb the multiple armed factions, but some, such as the Syrian Democratic Forces (FDS) supported by the United States, refuse to disarm.
In addition, despite the general absence of reprisals against supporters of the fallen regime, the Kurdish, Christian, Druze and Alaouites minorities fear marginalization and expect concrete evidence of the commitment of the new power in favor of an inclusive state.
These internal tensions are added to the external threats that weigh on the country.
Restore links with the West
On the diplomatic level, the new Syrian direction strives to restore its relations with the Arab and Western countries.
The accession to power of HTS, a group formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda but which has detached itself from the organization, arouses questions, especially within the international community. Some Western States condition any cooperation on democratic guarantees, and sanctions remain in place, inherited from the al-Assad era.
Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu warned of Syrian forces or HTS in the south of Damascus on Sunday. He said he wanted to protect the druzes installed in this region and on the Golan Plateau, annexed by Israel. Since the fall of Al-Assad, Israeli troops have advanced on the Syrian territory neighboring the Golan and seem to want to maintain their presence there.
Although the interim government has not officially reacted to Netanyahu’s statements, Ahmad al-Sharaa has reaffirmed the will of its administration to defend the country’s territorial integrity. “Syria must firmly face anyone who tries to harm our security and our unit”he said.