Syria’s de facto leader says holding elections could take four years Reuters

By Hatem Maher and Menna AlaaElDin

CAIRO (Reuters) – Holding elections in Syria could take up to four years, Syrian opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said in remarks broadcast on Sunday, the first time he has commented on the timetable for elections. since Bashar al-Assad was ousted. month.

Drafting a new constitution could take three years, Sharaa said in an interview with Saudi state broadcaster Al Arabiya. He added that it will take about a year for Syrians to see significant changes.

The comments from Sharaa, who heads the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that ousted Assad on December 8, come as the new government in Damascus seeks to reassure its neighbors that it has moved away from its roots. their Islamic army.

The group’s lightning campaign ended a 13-year civil war but left many questions about the future of the multi-ethnic country where foreign powers including Turkey and Russia have strong interests and which may be competitive.

Although Western governments have largely welcomed the end of the Assad family’s rule in Syria, it remains unclear whether the group will impose strict Islamic rule or show flexibility and transition to democracy.

Sharaa said HTS, formerly known as the Nusra Front, will be disbanded at a national conference.

When asked about disbanding the group, Sharaa said: “Of course. The country cannot be run by the ideas of groups and soldiers.”

The group has previously aligned itself with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda but has since denied both and wants to present itself as a force of balance.

It has repeatedly vowed to protect minority groups, which fear the new rulers may seek to impose an Islamic state and have warned of efforts to incite sectarian conflict.

According to Sharaa, the national conference will include the broad participation of the Syrian people through elections on issues such as the dissolution of the parliament and the constitution.

Regarding the situation in northeastern Syria, Sharaa said there are talks with all parties to resolve the remaining conflicts including the US-allied Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“We refuse Syria to be on the platform of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to launch attacks against Turkey,” he said.

He said that weapons should only be under the control of the government, adding that the defense department will accept those who are able to join the army.

In the interview, Sharaa said Syria shares strategic interests with Russia, Assad’s closest ally during the long civil war with military bases in the country, repeating the reconciliation gestures his government has made in the past.

Sharaa said this month that relations between Syria and Russia should serve common interests.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the status of Russian military bases would be the subject of discussions with the new leadership in Damascus.

“It is not only a question of maintaining our bases or our fortresses, but also the conditions of their operation, maintenance and supply, and cooperation with the local side,” he said in an interview with the Russian news agency RIA. on Sunday.

Sharaa also said that he hopes that the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump will remove the sanctions imposed on Syria. Senior US officials who visited Damascus this month said that Sharaa appeared to be wise and that Washington decided to remove the $10 million bounty on the head of the HTS leader.

Responding to a question about the concerns of neighboring countries about Islamic groups, he said: “We will not work to send a revolution. We want to control the movement with national sentiments and not a revolution,” he said. , he repeated that they. they are eager to establish strategic relations with all countries in the region.