Syria’s Prime Minister Said He Will Stay To Ensure A Peaceful Transition After Rebels Toppled Al-Assad’s Regime
In an interview with Al Arabiya, Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali said he did not intend to leave Syria and had had spoken with HTS about managing the current transitional period.
After liberating the country from Bashar al-Assad's regime on Sunday Dec. 8 following a lightning offensive, Syrian rebels have said they are working on transferring power to a transitional government, Reuters reported.
In a statement, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that led the offensive, said prime minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali will supervise government institutions until the transition.
A video shared on social media showed rebels reportedly escorting Jalali to a hotel to hand over power on Dec. 8.
In an interview with Al Arabiya, Jalali said he did not intend to leave Syria and had had spoken with Julani about managing the current transitional period.
“I am not leaving and I don’t intend to leave. I expect in a peaceful manner to guarantee the continuity of the public authorities and the institutions and the state apparatus and to guarantee the safety and security for all citizens,” Jalali said.
“And we are extending our hands even to the opposition, who extended their hands and gave assurances they will not cause any harm to any citizens who belong to this Syria of ours," he added.
Jalali called for free elections and said his government was ready to hand over power to any leadership chosen by the people, according to Al Jazeera.
Syria's Communication Minister said in a separate interview with Al Arabiya that he had spoken with a HTS representative, and the two had agreed that the telecoms and internet would continue to function, Al Jazeera reported.