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Syrian rebel leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, called for the lifting of international sanctions in an exclusive interview Monday with a group of foreign journalists.
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.
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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.
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.”
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.
