Post-Assad Syria: New rulers name foreign minister amid push for international outreach

Syria’s new rulers appointed Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, according to the official Syrian news agency (SANA) on Saturday, as they seek to improve international relations following Bashar al-Assad’s ousting two weeks ago.

Reuters cited a source in the new administration, saying that this step ”comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability”.

Syria’s de facto ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has actively engaged with foreign delegations since assuming power, including hosting the U.N.’s Syria envoy and senior U.S. diplomats.

Sharaa has signaled a willingness to engage diplomatically with international envoys, saying his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development. He has said he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.

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The United States, other Western powers, and many Syrians welcomed the fall of Assad as rebel groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized control. However, it remains unclear whether HTS will impose strict Islamic rule or show flexibility in moving towards democracy. HTS, once part of al Qaeda until breaking ties in 2016, played a significant role in toppling Assad.

Syrian rebels took Damascus on December 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war, ending his family’s long reign. Forces under Abu Mohammed al-Golani, also known as Sharaa, established a three-month caretaker government to rule over the rebel-held northwest Idlib province.

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Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. U.S. officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.

The war killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.

With inputs from agencies.