Syria’s jihadist leader vows to dissolve his organization and contemplates a four-year political transition

In an interview with the pan-Arab network Al Arabiya, the leader of HTS, the standard-bearer of the rebel offensive that ended Al Assad’s government at the beginning of the month, explained that two conditions are necessary for the elections to be held: drafting a new Constitution and an “exhaustive census” of the population.

Al Shara understands that the drafting of a new Magna Carta is essential to create “a lasting political framework” in the country after half a century of the Assadist dynasty.

By the time this happens, HTS will have disappeared, Al Shara has assured, who intends to announce the dissolution of the organization at the next National Dialogue Conference, still undated, to be held in the capital, Damascus.

Incorporation of Turkish militias

The jihadist leader has also addressed a key point such as the current armed conflict between pro-Turkish Syrian militias and Kurdish-Arab armed groups in the north of the country.

In this sense, Al Shara has assured that its intention is to incorporate the Kurdish militias into the country’s defense organization, although it has indicated that a specific group, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated by Ankara as an organization terrorist, It will have no place in this future.

“We will not allow Syria to become a launching pad for PKK attacks,” Al Shara said.

Lifting of sanctions, rapprochement with Tehran and Moscow

The HTS leader has also expressed his hope that the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, will lift the sanctions imposed on Syria during the last civil war to facilitate the transition process.

“We hope that he does not follow the same policy as his predecessor,” Al Shara said about the international relations of the new Syrian administration, which has expressed its interest in get closer to Al Assad’s two great allies, Iran and Russia.

“I expect positive messages from Iran,” said Al Shara, before referring to Russia as a country with which Syria shares “strategic interests.” “We would not like Russia to leave the country in a way that could deteriorate bilateral relations,” he said.