Syria's new leader, Ahmad al-Shareh, declared on Sunday that all the country's weapons will come under state control, during the visit to Damascus of the head of Turkish diplomacy who called for the lifting of sanctions on against Syria.
The leader of the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which dominates the coalition that toppled Bashar al-Assad in early December, indicated that after upcoming consultations with defense and army officials on a new military structure, the “armed factions (were) going to start announcing their dissolution and entering” in the army.
“We will absolutely not allow weapons to escape state control (…), whether they come from revolutionary factions or from factions present in the FDS zone (Syrian Democratic Forces, dominated by the Kurds, Editor's note) »said Ahmad al-Chareh during a press conference alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Ankara, which supports the new Syrian power, considers the SDF, supported by the United States, as an extension of its sworn enemy, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
“We strive to protect faiths and minorities against any conflict between them”and against the actors “exteriors” who try to exploit the situation “to provoke sectarian discord”added Ahmad al-Chareh, adding that Syria was “a country for all” Or “we can coexist together”.
Hakan Fidan said for his part that US President-elect Donald Trump knew that he should not continue to support Kurdish fighters to the detriment of the security needs of Turkey, his NATO ally.
“When you look at America's interests, when you do a calculation to see whether Turkey or a terrorist organization like the PKK is more important, Donald Trump immediately understands the equation here”he clarified.
The Turkish minister also called for sanctions against Syria to be lifted “as soon as possible so that services can be provided”.
“The international community must be fully mobilized so that Syria gets back on its feet and displaced people return to their country”he continued.
The «victoire» of the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad belongs to the Syrians and “no one else”he also said.
Turkey rejected on Wednesday the remarks of Donald Trump, who described the victory of the rebels in Syria on December 8 as “unfriendly takeover” at Ankara.
