Syrian cabinet set for imminent reshuffle, sources say

New leader had installed his loyalists at the top of the post-Assad order

Ahmad Al Shara, who was proclaimed Syria's President by his HTS comrades, is planning to change his cabinet as the country seeks international rehabilitation. AP Photo

Syria’s new leader Ahmad Al Shara is planning changes to the rebel-installed government for a more streamlined transition from the former regime, two senior officials in the current administration told The National.

The cabinet change comes after the US made it clear that radical elements must be sidelined if America’s relationship with post-Bashar Al Assad Syria is to improve.

Mr Al Shara visited US ally Saudi Arabia and received Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim in Damascus, after his rebel supporters declared him President on January 30. The two US allies have emerged as key backers in Mr Al Shara’s quest to reintegrate Syria into the international community after decades as a pariah state.

“We are talking about ministerial changes in a matter of days, or a couple of weeks at most,” said a cabinet level official, adding that it is not clear whether the low-profile Prime Minister, Mohammed Al Bashir, would retain his post.

A new cabinet would put the government on a more sound legal footing because the current 20-member cabinet was installed in the political vacuum after Mr Al Assad’s overthrow on December 8, he said.

Almost all of the ministers are closely linked with Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the organisation Mr Al Shara heads and which was formerly linked with Al Qaeda and the Nusra Front. It is designated as terrorist by the UN, the US and other western countries. Washington removed a bounty on Mr Al Shara last month but kept his status as a designated terrorist.

Among the controversial figures in the current government is Justice Minister Shadi Al Waisi. A video on social media purportedly shows him as one of several men overseeing the public execution of a woman in north Syria in 2015.

But “nobody except” Mr Al Shara knows how far the changes will go except that Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani will keep his position, the official said. Mr Al Shibani, a protege of Mr Al Shara, has emerged as a main moderate public figure in the administration.

Mr Al Shara, since becoming president, has set imposing the power of the state on the whole of the country as his priority. The central authorities are dealing with armed challenges from the fringes, stemming from the civil war.

Security forces deployed in a square in Damascus. AFP

Another Syrian official said that his ministry has informed donor countries and foreign organisations who have been lining up to push for projects to “be patient”, until the new government takes over.

Mr Al Shara has promised a transitional government that would “build new Syrian institutions” ahead of free and fair elections, without setting a deadline. He has not mentioned pluralism or democracy directly but said that Syria will be "governed by shura", a form of collective decision-making in Islam, after the Al Assad regime's ”tyranny”.

A European diplomat who met Mr Al Shara last month said that the Syrian leader had little choice but to appoint ultra-loyalists at the top echelons of the new order in the immediate aftermath of the Assad regime’s downfall, so as to stabilise the country.

“He has been eschewing extremism in his media appearances. It is time to translate that on the ground,” the diplomat said, and added that appointing technocrats in the new cabinet would strengthen Mr Al Shara’s position.

“He is eager to lift the sanctions, and the terrorist designations, including on himself."

Ahead of the expected reshuffle, Mr Al Shara visited Turkey on Tuesday for talks on rebuilding the war-torn country and security issues that are likely to include Kurdish fighters near the Turkish border.

Mr Al Shara's visit is his second foreign trip since being declared President by his supporters last week, after a visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday during which he held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Syria's Al Shara arrives in Saudi Arabia for first trip abroad as leader

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He travelled to Turkey at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish leader's office said on Monday. The pair gave a news conference with scant detail of their discussions, but with a friendly tone.

Although not referred to publicly, defence matters were also expected to have been discussed, with talk of an agreement that could see Turkey establish new air bases in Syria, use Syrian airspace for military purposes, and take a lead role in training troops in the country's new army, sources told Reuters. Neither Mr Al Shara or Mr Erdogan mentioned any detail to that effect on Tuesday.

A regional intelligence official, a Syrian security official and a Damascus-based foreign security source said the talks would include setting up two Turkish bases in Syria's vast central desert region, known as the Badiyah. A regional intelligence official told Reuters the possible airbase locations were the Palmyra military airport and the Syrian army's T4 base, both in Homs province.