U.N. to Jolani: Syria must have a ‘credible’ transition

Geir Pederson, the United Nations’ special envoy to Syria, center, listens to a woman who was looking for her missing relative in the Saydnaya prison, during his visit to the infamous Saydnaya military prison, in Saydnaya north of Damascus, Syria, on December 16, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The United Nations told the leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group which toppled Bashar al-Assad that Syria must have a “credible and inclusive” transition.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen who arrived in Damascus on Sunday, has met Abu Mohammed al-Jolani — who now goes under his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa — Mr. Pedersen’s office said Monday in a statement on Telegram.

He also met interim Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir, it said.

Mr. Pedersen met them after Saturday’s international meeting on Syria in Jordan, and stressed “the need for a credible and inclusive Syrian-owned and led political transition based on the principles of United Nations Security Council resolution 2254 (2015)”.

The UN envoy also underlined “the intention of the United Nations to render all assistance to the Syrian people”, and was briefed on their “challenges and priorities”, the statement added.

It said Mr. Pedersen had several engagements planned in the days ahead, but did not elaborate.

Mr. Assad was toppled by a lightning 11-day rebel offensive that swept down from northwest Syria, with fighters entering the capital on December 8.

Abandoned by his Russian and Iranian backers, Mr. Assad fled into exile in Moscow, bring to an end five decades of abuses by his clan.

The HTS group that led his overthrow is a former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria, and the United States and other Western governments still classify it as a “terrorist” group.

While hailing Mr. Assad’s downfall, several nations have said they will wait to see how Syria’s new Sunni Muslim authorities treat minorities in the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country.

Several countries including the United States and Britain have said they have already made contact with Jolani.