In his speech on Thursday, January 30, the Syrian president for the transitional period, Ahmed al-Sharaa, outlined the priorities that will be focused on during the upcoming period.
Al-Sharaa stated that his administration would concentrate on several key points, starting with achieving civil peace.
The second point is “pursuing the criminals who have shed Syrian blood and committed massacres and crimes,” whether they are hiding inside the country or have fled abroad, through genuine transitional justice.
The Military Operations Administration, alongside the General Security Service, launched security campaigns to track down members of the former regime, militia leaders, and those who have committed crimes against Syrians, as part of the regime’s core elements.
These campaigns began following the overthrow of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, and expanded to cover most areas under the control of the Damascus government, focusing on Homs, the coast, and the countryside of Damascus.
On the external front, the most notable official move announced for pursuing officials of the former regime was a demand for Moscow to extradite Bashar al-Assad.
The spokesperson for the Russian presidency (Kremlin), Dmitry Peskov, declined to comment on the Syrian administration’s request for Bashar al-Assad’s extradition.
Regarding this point, Peskov said, “I will leave this without comment, and we will continue our dialogue with the Syrian authorities.”
Two days after the regime’s fall, al-Sharaa stated, “We will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals and killers, the security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people.”
He added at the time, “We will pursue war criminals and request them from the countries they fled to so that they can receive their just punishment,” and we will announce “list number one,” which will include the names of senior individuals involved in torturing the Syrian people.
Unity of Syria
The third matter that the transitional administration will focus on is completing the unity of Syrian territory, ensuring control over all of Syria, and establishing sovereignty under a single authority on one land.
The Damascus government militarily or through coordination with local factions (as in As-Suwayda) controls most of Syrian territory, except for areas under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria. This indicates the administration’s determination to gain control over these areas, whether through ongoing negotiations with the SDF or military operations.
In recent weeks, the SDF has reiterated talks about negotiations taking place with Damascus, but these negotiations have not reached a final solution, especially with the SDF’s insistence on maintaining its military core in the new army and its demand for autonomy in its regions.
According to what was stated in al-Sharaa’s speech on Thursday, other priorities include building strong state institutions based on efficiency and justice, free from corruption, favoritism, and bribery, and establishing the foundations of a robust economy that restores Syria’s regional and international status and provides dignified job opportunities to improve living conditions and restore lost essential services.
The spokesperson for the Military Operations Administration, Hassan Abdul Ghani, announced several decisions during the “Victory Conference” held in Damascus on Wednesday, January 29, the most notable of which are:
- Ahmed al-Sharaa is to assume the presidency of Syria during the transitional period, performing the duties of the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, and representing it in international forums.
- Empowering al-Sharaa to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional period, which will carry out its functions until a permanent constitution is adopted and comes into effect.
- Dissolving the People’s Assembly and its affiliated committees.
- Dissolving the ruling Baath party in Syria during the previous regime, and the parties of the National Progressive Front, along with their associated organizations, institutions, and committees, and prohibiting their reformation under any name, and returning all their assets to the Syrian state.
- Dissolving all security apparatuses affiliated with the previous regime, with their various branches and names, as well as all militias that it created, and forming a new security institution.
- Dissolving the previous regime’s army and rebuilding the Syrian army “on national foundations.”
- Abolishing the 2012 Constitution and stopping the implementation of all exceptional laws.
- Dissolving all military factions, as well as revolutionary and civil political bodies, and integrating them into state institutions.
- Declaring December 8 of each year (the date of the regime’s fall) as a national holiday.