Syrian leader Sharaa pledges to form inclusive government

In the coming days, we will announce the preparatory committee for the national dialogue conference, which will serve as a platform to exchange perspectives and refine our upcoming political program,

al-Sharaa said

I will establish a preparatory committee to select a small-scale legislative council that will fill this institutional void during the transitional period,

he stated

Following these measures, we will present a constitutional declaration that will serve as the legal reference for the transitional phase,

he added

Emphasising that this is a transition period – and temporary – and al-Sharaa is a president for the transitional period is, broadly speaking in the context of Syria, more positive than negative,

Ayoub said

There is still no real plan and until now they don’t seem to have an intention for serious accountability for [al-]Assad and regime crimes,

Ayoub said

There is no future for them considering their bloodstained record,

Elia Ayoub, researcher and author of the Hauntologies newsletter, said

My take is that HTS and Sharaa intend to consolidate single-party Islamist rule.”

Gerges said

We want Syria to be part of a collective Arab endeavor that promotes economic diversity,

he said, reiterating

We have freed our people from humiliation -- now we must devote ourselves to reconstructing and advancing this nation,

al-Sharaa said at the conference, referencing a sweeping offensive by militant groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) late last year that resulted in the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad government

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,

commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, spokesman for the Syria Military Operations Command, said in a statement Wednesday

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,

Ghani added

Just as we were determined in the past to liberate it, our duty now is to be determined to build and develop it,

Al-Sharaa added

[Al ... Al-Sharaa] is trying to reassure them that they are going to be not just represented but also will be part of a new Syria,

Bin Javaid said

These sanctions are having an impact on everyone inside Syria, on all aspects of Syrian society,

Bin Javaid said

It’s a monumental day,

said Al Jazeera’s correspondent Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Damascus

Any meaningful elections will require conducting a comprehensive population census,

he said

In 2014, he was at the height of his radicalism,

Pierret said, referring to the period of the war when he sought to compete with the jihadist Islamic State group

He is a pragmatic radical,

Thomas Pierret, a specialist in political Islam, told AFP

It was as a result of this admiration for the 9/11 attackers that the first signs of jihadism began to surface in Jolani's life, as he began attending secretive sermons and panel discussions in marginalised suburbs of Damascus,

the website said

The mission of the victorious is heavy, and their responsibility is immense,

Sharaa added