Syria’s new rulers name foreign minister amid push for international relations
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People gathering during a celebration called by Syria’s new government in Damascus on Dec 20.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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DAMASCUS – Syria’s new rulers have appointed a foreign minister, the official Syrian news agency Sana said on Dec 21, as they seek to build international relations two weeks after Mr Bashar al-Assad was ousted as president.
The ruling General Command named Mr Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, Sana said.
A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability”.
Mr Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of a rebel government in Syria’s north-western province of Idlib, the General Command said.
Syria’s de facto ruler, Mr Ahmed al-Sharaa, has actively engaged with foreign delegations since assuming power, including hosting the United Nations’ Syria envoy and senior American diplomats.
Mr Sharaa has signalled a willingness to engage diplomatically with international envoys, saying his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development. He has said he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians were glad to see rebel groups led by Mr Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) topple Mr Assad, but it is not clear whether the Islamist group will impose strict Islamic rule or show flexibility and move towards democracy.
HTS was part of Al-Qaeda until Mr Sharaa broke ties with it in 2016.
Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec 8, forcing Mr Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Forces under the command of Mr Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani – installed a three-month caretaker government that has been ruling Idlib.
Washington designated Mr Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying Al-Qaeda in Iraq tasked him with overthrowing Mr Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic syariah law in Syria.
US officials said on Dec 20 that Washington would remove a US$10 million (S$13.5 million) bounty on Mr Sharaa’s head. REUTERS
