Exclusive: Syria’s de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa calls for lifting of sanctions

Dressed in a suit, with a white shirt and no tie, Syria’s de facto new leader ruler appeared thoughtful and statesman-like – a far cry from his Islamist fighter antecedents – as he laid out his vision for the future of his country in an interview with foreign journalists at the Syrian government headquarters in Damascus on Monday.

The head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led a rebel coalition that ousted Bashar al-Assad, now uses his real name: Ahmed al-Sharaa. His nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has been shed, like his rebel fatigues, as he attempts to transition Syria out of more than half-a-century of Assad family rule.

The top priority, Sharaa told a group of foreign journalists that included FRANCE 24’s Wassim Nasr, was rebuilding Syria, for which, the lifting of international sanctions was essential.

The economic sanctions were imposed on the “executioner” of the Syrian people, said Sharaa, referring to Assad.

“We Syrians, the victims, are being punished for the acts of our executioner, who is no longer with us,” he said. “We ask for the international community's help in prosecuting the Assad regime's criminals and recovering the money stolen from Syrians.”

In the course of the interview, which lasted nearly an hour, Sharaa answered questions on the future of the Syrian state, the army, relations with neighbouring countries, and his expectations of the international community, explained Nasr, reporting from Damascus.

#Syrie la discussion n’a pas été filmée ni enregistrée, l’essentiel @FRANCE24 bientôt https://t.co/E805nR7hvS pic.twitter.com/8XszCOFkqS

— Wassim Nasr (@SimNasr) December 16, 2024

The interview was “organised with other foreign journalists. There were conditions: It could not be filmed or recorded,” said  Nasr. “But we could ask him questions and report on what he told us publicly."

‘We haven't targeted civilians’

The questions were often pointed, including queries about Sharaa’s listing as a terrorist and the HTS designation as a terrorist group by the UN and several countries such as the US, France and Britain.

“Our terrorist listing is the result of a political will. We've carried out military operations, we haven't targeted civilians. Terrorism is about targeting civilians, and we haven't done that,” said Sharaa.

“In Syria, we spoke with all the communities, the Druze, who fought alongside us, the Christians, the Alawites, and the Kurds,” he added, referring to the country’s multiple minority groups.

 “It doesn't matter if I'm under sanctions and on a terrorist list. The important thing is to lift the sanctions on Syria,” he stressed.

READ MORE: The remarkable transformation of Syria's top rebel leader

‘Syria won't be used to target other countries’

Sharaa this week is meeting representatives of key European countries, including France, Germany and the UK, as the international community attempts to engage with Syria’s new authorities.

“We ask for the international community's help in prosecuting the Assad regime's criminals and recovering the money stolen from Syrians,” said Sharaa. “We also call for pressure on Israel to put an end to its operations in Syria.”

Israel has carried out more than 470 strikes on military sites in Syria since Assad fled, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Sharaa called on the international community to give Syria a chance to create its own destiny after the 13-year civil war drew regional and global powers into the battlefield in a proxy war that devastated the country.

“Israel had the alibi to strike in Syria,” said Sharaa, referring to Iran-backed militias that helped the Assad regime during the civil war. “These militias are no longer there,” he said. “We don't want conflict either with Israel or with other countries. Syria won't be used to target other countries. Syrians are tired and just need to live in peace.”

National unity was a top concern for a post-Assad Syria, noted Sharaa, and this extended to Syria's Kurds, who currently run a semi-autonomous administration in the country’s northeast.

READ MORE: Kurds' self-rule dream under threat as Turkish-backed forces sweep Syria

On Monday, Hussein Othman, a senior Syrian Kurdish leader, called for "a stop to military operations over the entire Syrian territory in order to begin a constructive, comprehensive national dialogue".

From the government offices in Damascus, Sharaa appeared to be receptive to the call. “We have absolutely nothing against the Kurds as long as they don't advocate separatism and division,” he said. 

Contemplating new constitution, institutions

The priority, for now, is rebuilding state institutions and framing a new constitution for Syria, said Sharaa.

The HTS leader said his group’s administration of rebel-held Idlib over the past few years provided a template for the immediate aftermath of Assad’s ouster. But it was insufficient to handle the challenges of Syria’s future.

“The institutions we've set up in Idlib have helped us, but it's premature to define the exact form of the new regime we're putting in place,” he said. “Writing a new constitution will take time, and elections could be held. But as things stand, we don't even know how many voters there are in Syria. A huge census has to be taken to recreate a register.

“Our first concern is to get people to return home, whether from abroad or displaced people in Syria,” he said. “We need to secure this transitional period, while providing the necessary assistance for the return of displaced persons, refugees and Syrians in general.”

When asked about his governance philosophy amid concerns, especially among Syria’s religious minorities, over pluralism and tolerance, Sharaa was succinct. “It will be a reflection of real Syria, in its customs and habits,” he said. “Our mission is to build Syria”.