Syria's new Islamist rulers kicked off a long-awaited national dialogue conference on Tuesday as a “rare historical opportunity” to rebuild the country after fall of former President Bashar Assad and nearly 14 years of civil war.
Some 600 people from different parts of Syria were invited to the gathering in Damascus, hosted by the new authorities led by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. The group spearheaded the lightening offensive that ousted Assad in early December.
“Just as Syria has liberated itself by itself, it is appropriate for it to build itself by itself,” interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa told the conference.
“What we are experiencing today is an exceptional and rare historical opportunity in which we must use every moment to serve the interests of our people and our nation and honor the sacrifices of its children,” he said.
Syria's country’s new rulers, who have promised an inclusive political transition since seizing power, will be closely watched by both Syrians and the international community, including countries still weighing whether to lift sanctions imposed during Assad’s authoritarian rule.
Syria faces major challenges, from rebuilding an economy and war-wrecked infrastructure, to setting up a new constitution and justice mechanisms for those accused of war crimes.
Although incidents of revenge and collective punishment have been far less widespread than expected, many in Syria's minority communities — including Kurds, Christians, Druze and members of Assad's Alawite sect — are concerned for their future and not yet convinced by the new rulers' promises of inclusive governance. HTS was formerly affiliated with al-Qaida, although it broke ties and al-Sharaa has since preached coexistence.
The organizers of the Damascus conference said all of Syria's communities were invited — but it was not immediately clear how many minority participants showed up. The gathering is meant to come up with non-binding recommendations to the country's interim rules ahead of the drafting of a new constitution and formation of a new government.
Syria's new Islamist leaders also also face the challenge of transforming former insurgent factions into a single national army they say should control all of Syria's territory.
Some armed groups — mainly the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that holds sway in northeastern Syria — have so far refused to disarm and dissolve their units.
Also, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will not allow Syria’s new army or the HTS, the former insurgent group that led the ouster of Assad, to “enter the area south of Damascus.”
After Assad's fall, Israeli forces moved into territory in southern Syria adjacent to the Israel-annexed Golan Heights and have made it clear they plan to stay there indefinitely.
Syria's new rulers have not directly responded to Netanyahu's warning but al-Sharaa said at the Damascus conference that Syria must “firmly confront anyone who wants to tamper with our security and unity.”
Interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said Syria's new authorities "will not accept any violation of our sovereignty or the independence of our national decisions.” He also touted the new government's efforts to rebuild diplomatic ties with Arab and Western countries and push for lifting of sanctions imposed during Assad's rule.