SDF ‘expressed willingness’ to surrender arms to Syrian state control, says Al Shara

Syria’s new President wants to bring all weapons exclusively into the hands of government forces

Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara said he wanted to bring together an army 'for all Syrians'. Reuters

Syria's new rulers are in talks with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces who have "expressed willingness" to put their weapons under state control, President Ahmad Al Shara said on Monday.

In his first televised interview since officially being named to the position last week, he said his government intended to ensure weapons are controlled and "exclusively in the hands of the state".

Syria's 13-year civil war led to the emergence of many non-state armed groups. Mr Al Shara's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham was one of them, as is rival group the SDF.

"There are ongoing negotiations with the Syrian Democratic Forces to resolve the issue of north-eastern Syria," he told Syria TV. "The SDF has expressed its willingness to place weapons under state control, but there are differences regarding some details."

The SDF, a mostly Kurdish force mainly made up of members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), is backed by the US, which considers it a key ally in fighting ISIS. It controls a large area of Syria's north-east, and has fought other militant groups, including HTS affiliates, since former president Bashar Al Assad was deposed on December 8.

The group runs large prisons and detention camps containing more than 10,000 ISIS fighters and their families, and said it has faced attacks trying to break out members of the extremist group.

In an effort to begin rebuilding, the country's 2012 constitution has been dissolved, as well as security agencies and the army.

But HTS is struggling to contain violence. Fighting between the SDF and Turkish-backed Syrian National Army rages in the north, and a car bomb in the city of Manbij killed 20 people on Monday. It was the seventh such attack in a month.

Mr Al Shara said he hopes to bring together a national army "for all Syrians," a sentiment he also expressed for the country's future government.

"I am trying to prevent Syria from falling into a system of power-sharing based on quotas, and competence will be the main criterion for appointments, he said, adding his government would feature technocratic appointments.

How long Mr Al Shara might stay as President until elections or another process to name a government is still not clear. On naming the leader of the 11-day lightning offensive to topple the Assad regime to the presidency, Col Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the rebel umbrella group known as the Operations Room, said he would serve for a "transitional phase".

Mr Al Shara has said he plans a national conference to bring together the country's varied society.

Syria's decades of dictatorship and drawn-out civil war has left state institutions in ruins, and Mr Al Shara has called for international assistance to help get the country back on its feet. About 90 per cent of Syrians live below the poverty line.

"A broad economic team is currently being formed from inside and outside the country to analyse data and develop an economic policy that will last for 10 years," he said.