Damascus:
A day after the lightning overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali on Monday said he has agreed to hand power to the rebel-led Salvation Government. The imminent transfer of power, which follows 13 years of civil war and five decades of iron-fisted Baath rule, has left Syrians, countries in the region and world powers nervous about what comes next as the rebel alliance prepares for government transition.
Syria’s Islamist rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who is now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, met with outgoing Prime Minister Al-Jalali on Monday “to coordinate a transfer of power that guarantees the provision of services” to Syria’s people, said a statement posted on the rebels’ Telegram channels.
According to a report by Al Jazeera television, the transitional authority would be headed by Mohamed al-Bashir, who has headed the Salvation Government, a de facto unrecognized quasi-state in Syria formed in November 2017 by HTS and other Syrian opposition groups. However the rebel alliance has not communicated plans for Syria’s future, and there is no template for such a transition in the fractious region.
Promise Of Order
On Tuesday, Sharaa said the incoming authorities would prosecute senior officials in Mr Al-Asaad’s government, who were responsible for torture and other abuses of Syrians. We “will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people,” he said, according to an AFP report.
Bashar al-Assad iron-fisted’s regime was known for the brutal complex of prisons and detention centres which were used to eliminate dissent by those suspected of stepping out of the ruling Baath party’s line. But the autocrat was ousted as the Islamist-led rebels, spearheaded by Sharaa’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), swept into the capital Damascus on Sunday, bringing a spectacular end to five decades of brutal rule by his clan.
Jolani has vowed to rebuild Syria, and his HTS has spent years trying to soften its image to reassure foreign nations and minority groups within Syria. However, the group is still designated as a terrorist organization by many states and the UN, with its governing credentials uncertain.
“Syrians are looking forward to establishing a state of freedom, equality, rule of law, democracy, and we will join efforts to rebuild our country, to rebuild what was destroyed, and to rebuild the future, better future of Syria,” Koussay Aldahhak, Syria’s Ambassador to United Nations (UN) told reporters.
Global Uncertainty
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met behind closed doors late on Monday, and diplomats said they were still in shock at how quickly Mr al-Assad’s ouster unfolded over 12 days of rebellion, after several years of stalemate. “Everyone was taken by surprise, everyone, including the members of the council. So we have to wait and see and watch … and evaluate how the situation will develop,” Reuters reported Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia as saying.
Over the years, Russia played a major role in supporting al-Assad’s government and helping it fight the rebels. The Syrian leader fled Damascus for Moscow on Sunday, ending his family’s over 50 years of brutal rule.
Analysts believe that the situation in Syria could raise regional tensions. Meanwhile, The US is looking at ways to engage with Syrian rebel groups and is reaching out to partners in the region such as Turkey to start informal diplomacy.
“Now we’re really focused right now on trying to see where the situation goes. Can there be a governing authority in Syria that respects the rights and dignities of the Syrian population,” noted Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood.
In another major challenge facing Syria, Israel has seized a buffer zone in the country’s south, a move condemned by Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia said the move would “ruin Syria’s chances of restoring security.”
Tel Aviv is concerned over the formation of an Islamist government in Syria that opposes Israel. Israel said its airstrikes would carry on for days but told the UN Security Council that it was not intervening in Syria’s conflict. It said it had taken “limited and temporary measures” solely to protect its security.
