Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa named transitional president

Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of the main rebel group who led the overthrow of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, has been named Syria's transitional president, the country's military command announced on Jan. 29.

“We announce the appointment of Commander Ahmad al-Sharaa as head of state during the transitional period. He will assume the duties of the president of the Syrian Arab Republic and represent the country in international forums,” the Syria Military Operations Command said in a statement.

“The president is authorized to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase, which will carry out its duties until a permanent constitution is enacted and put into effect,” the statement added.

Once a member of al Qaeda, al-Sharaa's rebel group broke away from the terrorist organization in 2016 to help lead efforts to oust Assad during the country's decade-long civil war.

Given al-Sharaa's past ties, Western officials have remained cautious about the transitional president's intentions as he attempts to rebuild a war-torn society.

"While we aim to move fast, the lifting of sanctions can be reversed if wrong steps are taken," EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas posted on X on Jan. 27, adding that the EU plans to scale up humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts in Syria."

Al-Sharaa, who has served as the country's de-facto leader since the fall of Assad in December, has distanced the country from its previous ties with Russia — including blocking the withdrawal of Russian military equipment, demanding compensation from Russia for the country's "past mistakes" in Syria, and calling on the Kremlin to hand over Assad from Russian asylum.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Damascus on Dec. 30 for a meeting with al-Sharaa, in which Sybiha expressed Ukraine holds a "similar view" on Russian military presence in Syria.

During his visit, Sybiha emphasized that Ukraine is ready to restore diplomatic ties, trade, and educational exchanges with Syria if the country's new leadership respects international law and its territorial integrity.

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The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov