Latest news with #SyrianSalvationGovernment
The National
30-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Who are the key ministers in Syria's new transitional government?
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara announced a transitional government on Saturday, appointing 23 ministers in a broadened cabinet. The move is seen as a key milestone in the transition from decades of Assad family rule and the improvement of ties with the West. The new cabinet, which is religiously and ethnically mixed, is the first in the country's five-year transitional period and replaces the interim government formed shortly after former president Bashar Al Assad was removed from power in early December. The cabinet does not have a prime minister. Instead it will have a secretary general, as set out in a temporary constitution signed this month by Mr Al Shara, leader of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which led the push to overthrow the Assad regime. Foreign Minister: Asaad Al Shibani Mr Al Shibani, 38, previously led the political department of a rebel government in north-west Idlib province. He played a part in creating the Syrian Salvation Government in 2017, alongside Mr Al Shara, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani. Mr Al Shibani holds a master's degree in political science and international relations from Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University in Turkey. He had been a pursuing a PhD in the same field. Defence Minister: Murhaf Abu Qasra Born in 1984, he graduated from Damascus University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering. He joined the armed forces, completing his compulsory military service before the outbreak of Syrian civil war in 2011. He held the rank of first lieutenant, specialising in field artillery. He became involved in the uprising against Mr Al Assad early on and served as an HTS military commander in western Hama province. He led the military wing of HTS for five years, during which he established the Shahin Brigades, a drone unit for the rebel group. Minister of Interior: Anas Khattab Born in 1987, he studied architectural engineering at Damascus University. He joined the Syrian uprising in 2011 and held an administrative role until 2016. He later moved into the security field and founded the General Security Service within the Syrian Salvation Government, which had run much of Idlib since 2017. Mr Khattab led the intelligence service in the Syrian interim government. Minister of Justice: Mazhar Al Wais He was born in 1980 and studied medicine at Damascus University. He also studied Sharia and completed a preliminary master's degree. He was jailed for six years by the Assad regime and joined the uprising after his release, helping to establish a ministry of justice under the rebels in northern Syria. He was a member of the opposition Supreme Judicial Council until HTS led the assault on Damascus last year. Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research: Marwan Al Halabi Mr Al Halabi, born in 1964, holds a postgraduate degree in obstetrics, gynaecology and surgery from Damascus University. He previously served as a professor in the university's faculty of medicine. He also led the Department of Anatomy, Histology, Embryology and Genetics at the institution from 2014 to 2017. Minister of Education: Mohammad Turko Born in 1979, he studied law at Damascus University and received doctorate from Leipzig University in Germany. He previously held teaching positions in the faculties of education and arts in the Syrian Virtual University, Damascus University, Al Sham Private University and the Arab International University. Minister of Finance: Mohammad Barniyeh Born in 1967, he earned a degree in economics from Damascus University and pursued graduate studies in the subject in the US between 1990 and 1994. He held various positions at the Arab Monetary Fund from 2009 to 2024, including director of the economic policies department. He also served as secretary general of the board of governors of Arab Central Banks and secretary general of the Arab Finance Ministers' Council. Minister of Health: Musab Al Ali He was born in 1985 and gained a medical degree at Homs University. He pursued postgraduate studies at Aleppo University, focusing on neurosurgery. He later worked in neurosurgery at hospitals in Germany. Mr Al Ali was recognised in Germany as a specialist in brain, spinal cord and nerve surgery. Minister of Information: Hamza Al Mustafa Born in 1985, he holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Damascus University and a doctorate in social sciences from the University of Exeter in the UK. He worked for the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, focusing on Syrian studies, and served as secretary for the Arab Policies journal. Mr Al Mustafa also served as an editorial supervisor at Al Araby TV Network in London and general director of Syria TV. Minister of Economy and Industry: Mohammad Al Shaar He previously served as Syria's minister of economy and trade, before leaving cabinet in 2012. He also served as secretary general of the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions. Mr Al Shaar worked in the US, including teaching courses at George Washington University. Minister of Social Affairs and Labour: Hind Kabawat Ms Kabawat, the only woman in the new Syrian cabinet, is a member of the country's Christian minority and was a long-time opponent of Mr Al Assad. She was a member of the preparatory committee for the national dialogue conference held in Damascus in February. Minister of Energy: Mohammad Al Bashir Mr Al Bashir was prime minister of Syria's interim government after the downfall of Mr Al Assad. He previously served as head of the Syrian Salvation Government and was minister of development and humanitarian affairs in the authority. Born in Idlib in 1983, Mr Al Bashir is a qualified engineer with a degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Aleppo. He also gained a master's degree in Sharia from the University of Idlib. He joined the uprising against Mr Al Assad in 2011.
Al Binaa
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Binaa
Trump-Putin Rapprochement Casts a Shadow Over Europe… UN Resolutions Outline the Ukrainian Settlement / Netanyahu's Syria Plan Looms Over the Region… Gaza Agreement Wavers Amid Calls for Extension
The political editor wrote U.S. President Donald Trump has forced Europe and Ukraine into a new reality by opening up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and laying the groundwork for an initial agreement on Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Washington and his remarks alongside Trump underscored Europe's limited ability to act independently from the U.S., despite earlier bold rhetoric from European leaders. Meanwhile, recent UN resolutions reflected a growing focus on ending the war as soon as possible, omitting the usual preconditions, such as condemning Russia or demanding a full withdrawal from Ukrainian territories. While Moscow declined to comment on the U.S.-Ukraine metals deal that Trump seeks to recoup American financial aid to Kyiv, Trump stated that he does not believe Putin would oppose a European role in providing security guarantees for Ukraine after the war. In the region, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements on Syria and his plan to establish a security zone spanning the southern provinces of Damascus, Quneitra, Sweida, and Daraa have drawn significant attention. His proposal includes a special status for Sweida and the Druze community, from which laborers have already begun to be recruited for work in the occupied Golan Heights. Announcing this plan at a military officers' graduation ceremony, Netanyahu delivered a direct challenge to Syria's new government, which had anticipated U.S. support in curbing Israeli provocations. However, the plan presents an even greater challenge to Turkey and Qatar, both of which back the Syrian Salvation Government linked to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. American signals suggest that a Syrian-Israeli peace agreement recognising Israel's annexation of the Golan and granting additional security privileges could facilitate sanctions relief, without which, European financial leniencies would have little practical impact. This places Syria's new government, along with Turkey and Qatar, in a dilemma: either accept Israel's conditions and face popular backlash for capitulating to the occupation, thereby legitimising a new wave of national resistance against the occupation. It would also reposition the previous regime as a patriotic alternative – one that the new government would lack if it were to comply with occupation demands in exchange for sanctions relief. Alternatively, maintaining the status quo that existed under the previous regime, marked by sanctions and possibly even harsher living conditions, would weaken the government's ability to project sovereignty, especially if it fails to prevent the occupation from reaching the outskirts of Damascus. Meanwhile, Turkey, a powerful Islamic state, now shares a border with occupied Palestine yet does nothing. In Lebanon, the town of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in the south witnessed the funeral of Hezbollah's former Secretary-General, the martyred Sayyed Hashem Safi Al-Din. Today, Hezbollah will receive condolences for its two fallen leaders, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safi Al-Din. Meanwhile, Lebanon's government faces a parliamentary confidence vote today and tomorrow, where the first session is expected to be dominated by political speeches addressing the broader national situation, particularly Lebanon's stance on the Israeli occupation, Resolution 1701, and the resistance, in light of the events of the war and its aftermath, culminating in the funeral of Sayyed Nasrallah.
Al Manar
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Manar
Russia Stands for Syria's Integrity, Sovereignty: Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syria's new leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa have exchanged views on the situation in the country, the Kremlin press service reported, citing the content of the telephone conversation between the heads of state. 'The sides held a substantive exchange of views on the current situation in Syria,' the statement said. 'The Russian side stressed its principled position in support of the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian state,' the press service said. According to the statement, in this context, the sides 'emphasized the importance of implementing a number of measures in the interest of establishing a sustainable normalization of relations in the country, activating the inter-Syrian dialogue with the participation of all leading political forces and ethno-confessional groups of the population.' Armed opposition units in Syria launched a large-scale offensive on government troops in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates in late November 2024. On December 8, they entered Damascus, while President Bashar Assad stepped down and leftthe country. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who had led the so-called Syrian Salvation Government in the Idlib governorate, announced his appointment as head of Syria's interim government, saying that the transitional period would last until March 1, 2025. The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group , Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has become Syria's de facto new leader. The current conversation is the first official high-level contact between Russia and Syria after the change of power in Damascus.
