Foreign countries step up outreach to post-Assad Syria rulers

Countries scramble to establish contacts with new leadership amid hopes of a more stable future

A destroyed mosque in the town of Jobar, east of Damascus. Governments worldwide are stepping up efforts to engage with Syria's new interim rulers. AFP

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One week after the ousting of Bashar Al Assad, foreign governments are scrambling to establish contacts with Syria’s newly established interim rulers.

The flurry of diplomatic activity and the seemingly peaceful transition of power to Islamist-led rebel forces under Hayat Tahrir Al Sham has signalled hope that the country may be slowly moving towards stability after almost 14 years of civil war.

Rebel forces swept through Syria in a lightning offensive that led to the collapse of the Assad regime in early December. The former president fled to Russia and the interim government has been tasked with rebuilding and reuniting the country, while Israel intensifies its attacks on Syrian military targets.

Within days of takeover, several countries, including the US, Turkey, Qatar, the UK and France have made preliminary overtures to the new government.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, arrived in Damascus on Sunday, and met with HTS leader Ahmad Al Shara. Mr Pedersen said Syria should establish a “credible justice system” where there is accountability but not revenge. He also called for increased and immediate aid to the war-ravaged country saying Syria has been through “enormous humanitarian crisis.”

The US has acknowledged that it is in “direct contact” with HTS, marking a significant departure from its previous stance. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference in Jordan that Washington was in contact with the group, despite its designation as a terrorist organisation. He said the transition in Syria should lead to a “credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance” in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

The designation of the HTS as a terrorist organisation by the international community remains a sticking point in the transition. Mr Al Shara discussed the need to update the resolution “to suit the new reality” on the political scene in Syria, according to a statement on the rebels' Telegram channel.

UN special envoy Geir Pedersen meets Hayat Tahrir Al Sham leader Ahmad Al Shara in Damascus. AFP

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday that she has instructed the bloc’s top diplomat for Syria to visit Damascus and make contact with the country’s new government.

Britain’s Foreign Office said it has established contact with the Syrian government, Turkey has reopened its embassy and pledged support for Syria’s post-conflict reconstruction – including military training – while Qatar said it would reopen its embassy in Damascus on Tuesday.

Arab foreign ministers have also called for a new political system in Syria through free and fair elections supervised by the UN and based on a new constitution approved by Syrians.

After a swift consolidation of power, Mr Shara’s leadership is facing the dual challenge of stabilising a deeply fractured country while reassuring critics that he has become a moderate leader. In an interview with Syria TV, Mr Shara said his focus was on reconstruction and stability. “Syria’s war-weary condition does not allow for new confrontations. Our priority is rebuilding, not engaging in disputes that lead to more destruction,” he said, addressing concerns about Israel’s escalating strikes on Syrian territory.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has intensified its bombing campaign, targeting military sites linked to the former regime and its Iranian allies. Though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel has no interest of confronting Syria, Israel struck Tartus on late Sunday, which war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called “the most intense in over a decade”. The air strikes picked up as 3.0 magnitude earthquake on seismic sensors, the monitor said.

The Israeli government has also approved a plan to encourage the expansion of settlements in the occupied Golan Heights, which Israel seized during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and is considered illegally occupied under international law. Mr Netanyahu said his intention is to double the population there.

Despite the escalating tension, Mr Shara dismissed the possibility of another war.

People view pictures of missing detainees held by the Assad regime, at Marjeh Square in Damascus. Getty Images

Among ordinary Syrians, mostly relieved by the collapse of the former regime, fear and apprehension persist for some. Emotional scenes of families reuniting with loved ones have flooded social media, while others continue to search for those who disappeared into the Assad regime’s notorious prisons.

Mr Shara has vowed to close these detention centres and bring perpetrators of torture to justice. He has also assured the minorities of religious freedom and tolerance in new Syria. The promises appear to have so far held with Syrian Christians celebrating special Masses and preparing to mark Christmas. Schools have reopened and students are returning to classes.

Several mounting challenges lay ahead for the post-Assad Syria.

The interim government has already begun restoring critical services, including efforts to reopen Damascus airport and assessing damage to infrastructure. Prime Minister Mohammed Al Bashir, appointed earlier this week, announced that the interim administration would step down by March 2025, after overseeing security and refugee repatriation.

“We are here to restore security and state authority,” Mr Al Bashir said in an interview with Italian outlet Corriere della Sera. He also called on millions of Syrian refugees to return home and contribute to rebuilding the nation.

Early signs indicate that some refugees, particularly from neighbouring Turkey and Lebanon, are beginning to trickle back. European countries, which bore the brunt of the refugee crisis at the height of the civil war, have paused asylum applications for Syrians and are debating the repatriation of those who fled. However, poverty, unemployment, and lingering sectarian divisions remain big challenges.