Syria leader says state to control all weapons
by AFP Staff Writers
Damascus (AFP) Dec 22, 2024

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said Sunday all weapons would come under state control during a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who urged the lifting of sanctions on Syria.

Sharaa said that after upcoming consultations with defence and military officials on a new structure for the military, armed "factions will begin to announce their dissolution and enter" the army.

"We will absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control, whether from the revolutionary factions or the factions present in the SDF area," he added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Turkey views the main component of the US-backed force, which controls swathes of north and northeast Syria, as being linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), its outlawed domestic foe.

"We are working on protecting sects and minorities from any attacks that occur between them" and from "external" actors trying to exploit the situation "to cause sectarian discord", Sharaa added.

"Syria is a country for all and we can coexist together," he added.

Fidan told the press conference that US president-elect Donald Trump knew better than to continue Washington's backing for the Kurdish-led fighters over supporting the security needs of its NATO ally Turkey.

"When we look at it from America's interests, as a mathematical calculation -- whether Turkey or a terrorist organisation like the PKK is more important -- Mr. Trump sees the mathematics immediately," Fidan said.

The Turkish diplomat said that "the sanctions imposed on the previous (Syrian) regime need to be lifted as soon as possible".

"The international community needs to mobilise to help Syria get back on its feet and for the displaced people to return," he added.

Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that ousted Assad, also urged the lifting of sanctions.

Fidan also said that "this victory belongs to you and no one else. Thanks to your sacrifices, Syria has seized a historic opportunity."

Turkey has repeatedly dismissed claims it had any hand in the lightning rebel offensive that ended with Assad's overthrow.

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