Ahmed al-Sharaa, the de facto leader of Syria, has called on the international community to remove sanctions against the war-torn nation, emphasizing that it “no longer poses a threat to its neighbors or the West.”
Since the old regime was the target of the sanctions, they must now be withdrawn in light of everything that has transpired. In an interview in Damascus, he told BBC News’s foreign editor Jeremy Bowen, “The oppressor and the victim should not be treated in the same way.”
After years of little attention, Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, launched a spectacular lightning strike that over the weekend brought down Bashar al-Assad’s administration in Syria following more than 13 years of bloody civil war.
The 42-year-old Sharaa is the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group that was formerly associated with Al Qaeda and has ruled the majority of northwest Syria’s Idlib Province for years during a protracted armed standoff.
Several countries, including the US, UK, EU, and UN, have classified the group as a terrorist organization. The $10 million reward for Sharaa is still offered by the US government.
Sharaa stated to BBC News that HTS ought to be removed off the terrorist list since it is not a terrorist organization. He maintained that HTS was a victim of Assad-era atrocities and did not target civilians or civilian areas.
Imagination for Syria
Sharaa emphasized the cultural and societal distinctions between the two countries and dismissed analogies to Afghanistan during the Taliban’s control. The society of Afghanistan is tribal. We think differently in Syria,” he remarked.
He declared his support for women’s education. “Idlib has had universities for over eight years,” Sharaa stated. “I believe that over 60 percent of women attend universities.”
Sharaa refrained from providing a firm response when questioned about controversial topics like alcohol use. He clarified that a “Syrian committee of legal experts” entrusted with creating a new constitution would decide on such issues. “They will make the decision, and any president or ruler will have to abide by the law,” he continued.
Speaking to a group of international journalists earlier this week, Sharaa stated that reconstructing Syria was the top priority and that international sanctions needed to be lifted in order to do so. Sharaa claimed that the economic sanctions were placed on Assad, the “executer” of the Syrian people.
As reported by FRANCE 24, he stated, “We Syrians, the victims, are being punished for the acts of our executioner, who is no longer with us.” “In order to prosecute the criminals of the Assad regime and retrieve the money that has been stolen from Syrians, we request the assistance of the international community.”
“No confrontation with Israel”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, headquartered in Britain, claims that since Assad’s flight, Israel has launched over 470 strikes on military targets in Syria.
After the 13-year civil conflict pulled regional and international forces into the battlefield in a proxy war that ravaged the nation, Sharaa urged the international community to give Syria an opportunity to shape its own future.
Sharaa referred to Iran-backed militias that supported the Assad government during the civil war, saying, “Israel had the alibi to strike in Syria.” He declared, “These militias are no longer there.”
Conflict with Israel or other nations is not something we desire. Syria will not be utilized to attack other nations. Syrians simply want to live in peace because they are weary.
Sharaa pointed out that maintaining national unity was a primary need for Syria after Assad, and this also applied to the Kurds of Syria, who presently control a somewhat independent government in the northeast of the country.
