Syrian officials appoint HTS figures as foreign, defense ministers news
Asaad Hassan al-Shibani was named Foreign Minister and Murhaf Abu Qasra was named Defense Minister. Both are associates of HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Syria’s new rulers have appointed a foreign and defense minister as they seek to build international ties two weeks after Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power, the official Syrian news agency SANA reports.
The ruling General Command on Saturday named Assad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters news agency that the move was “in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that will bring peace and stability”.
Murhaf Abu Qasra was named defense minister in the interim government, an official source told Reuters. Abu Qasra, also known by the alias de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, who led the opposition forces that forced al-Assad from power.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Sardar, reporting from Damascus, said Abu Qasra and al-Shibani were “very close” to HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. “This raises questions about whether HTS is forming its own government or the Syrian government,” he said.
“So far, 14 ministers have been appointed, and all of them are close associates or friends of al-Sharaa.”
Al-Sharaa, Syria’s new de facto ruler, has actively engaged with foreign delegations since taking power, including hosting Syria’s envoy to the United Nations and senior diplomats from the United States.
He has said that his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he has no interest in getting involved in any new conflict.
Syrian opposition fighters captured Damascus on December 8, forcing President al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Forces under the command of al-Sharaa have installed a three-month caretaker government.
Washington designated al-Sharaa a “terrorist” in 2013 and said al-Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing al-Assad. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove the $10 million bounty on his head.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the largest refugee crises of modern times, and left cities bombed and reduced to rubble and economies hollowed out by global sanctions.
Qatar opened embassy
Qatar reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, 13 years after closing it at the start of Syria’s war, as foreign governments seek to establish ties with the country’s new rulers.
Qatar has become the second country after Turkey to officially reopen its embassy after al-Assad fled into exile.
Doha several days ago sent a diplomatic delegation to Damascus to meet with the transitional government.
On Tuesday the European Union said it was ready to reopen its diplomatic mission in Damascus.
The French flag was raised over the Paris embassy in Damascus on Tuesday, although the country’s special envoy to Syria said the mission would remain closed “until security criteria are met”.
