Sebastian Usher
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Syria's new leader says armed factions will come under state control
Hakan Fidan is the first foreign minister to go to Damascus since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad and the taking of power, essentially, for now at least, by Ahmad al-Shara and his HTS group. Now, what he was saying is, in one sense, a continuation of his efforts...
Global News Podcast
Syria's new leader says armed factions will come under state control
to portray himself as a pragmatist, as a moderate, as a man who wants the future of Syria to be very different from its past, to see a unified Syria after the years of conflict and division. And, of course, that is something to be expected and something that would be welcomed by the rest of the world. And it is a very difficult situation. I mean, there are a number of military groups involved.
Global News Podcast
Syria's new leader says armed factions will come under state control
that are operative in Syria. They include HTS and other similar factions, factions down in the south, which also rose with HTS in the toppling of Bashar al-Assad. ISIS is still operative to an extent. And most importantly, I think perhaps, Is the SDF for Kurdish-led forces over in the northeast?
Global News Podcast
Syria's new leader says armed factions will come under state control
Now, that's where it gets complicated, because essentially, as we're saying, Turkey was perhaps the key backer of HTS and Ahmad al-Shara, and it sees the SDF as simply an offshoot of the Kurdish separatists in Turkey and regards them as a terror group and has actually mounted several invasions into the north of Syria over the past years. to push them back.
Global News Podcast
Syria's new leader says armed factions will come under state control
So it's interesting that Ahmad al-Shara in this meeting with the Turkish foreign minister should make such a priority of the SDF and that they should give up their weapons. Obviously, if Syria is to be united, that is going to have to happen.
Global News Podcast
Syria's new leader says armed factions will come under state control
But whether taking on the SDF now, endangering some of the gains that the SDF has actually made in terms, I mean, remember that this is the group that with US support essentially defeated ISIS. And it has run the northeast of the country, probably in just about the most efficient way that any part of the country has been run during the conflict. So there's a lot to lose.
Global News Podcast
Syria's new leader says armed factions will come under state control
And the SDF certainly feels that its position. has coming under more and more attack. It never really took on Assad's forces, but it's certainly now very much the focus of the attentions of Turkey and of Ahmad al-Shara.
Global News Podcast
Syria's new leader says armed factions will come under state control
Obviously, Ahmad al-Shara will hope that there will be no new armed conflict over this, but that is a possibility because the SDF, the Kurdish administration there, feels it has a lot to lose.
Global News Podcast
Five dead and 200 injured in Magdeburg Christmas market attack
When Israel launched the major part of its offensive, including the ground offensive against Hezbollah back in October, it targeted mainly the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley in the east, parts of which are under Hezbollah control, and the south. So in all of those areas, the Lebanese army has been clearing roads, opening roads, clearing rubbish and debris,
Global News Podcast
Five dead and 200 injured in Magdeburg Christmas market attack
There are parts of South Lebanon which are almost flattened by the Israeli airstrikes that took place. And also the unexploded munitions from Israel in particular. Today it staged about a seven-hour operation. devoted to that in several areas. So all of these are building some confidence in Lebanon and outside that this ceasefire deal, despite many violations that have taken place, may hold.
Global News Podcast
Five dead and 200 injured in Magdeburg Christmas market attack
But the real challenge that lies ahead for the Lebanese army is when it makes a full deployment, particularly down in the south.
Global News Podcast
Five dead and 200 injured in Magdeburg Christmas market attack
I mean, this was only just over three weeks ago that the ceasefire happened. It was greeted, I think, far more jubilantly here in Lebanon than it was in Israel. There was great joy in the first days and people rushed down there. to the southern villages and towns that they'd had to leave.
Global News Podcast
Five dead and 200 injured in Magdeburg Christmas market attack
But I think what I find with lots of people here is a sense almost of unreality, that they can't believe that this can hold, that things can move in a positive direction, a sense that something is simmering, something unnamed is under the surface that may suddenly explode in everyone's faces.
Global News Podcast
Five dead and 200 injured in Magdeburg Christmas market attack
People here are wondering what Hezbollah might do next within the context of a country where politically things might move. People, I think they're enjoying the sense at the moment that, you know, the fighting has stopped, the risk to life, etc., has stopped. People have been coming back. I mean, all the flights, it was almost impossible. to find a flight, to come to Lebanon.
Global News Podcast
Five dead and 200 injured in Magdeburg Christmas market attack
And it's given them a great sense of humour about the way things go and also a sense of not ever taking anything for what it looks like on the surface.
Global News Podcast
South Korea's president impeached
The one other kind of interesting thing that he said there was that the U.S. has been in touch with HTS now, the main rebel group, direct contact, he said. Now, that's interesting because the U.S., as several other countries, still designates it as a terrorist organization. But he also said...
Global News Podcast
South Korea's president impeached
that the US had set out its principles, the ones we're talking about, the ones they talked about again today in Jordan to HTS, to say, you know, this is what we believe is the way forward. Powers both inside Syria and outside are trying as hard as they can to ensure that there is a smoother transition of power as possible. I mean, this is going to be difficult.
Global News Podcast
South Korea's president impeached
And so the word that they were saying, I mean, I think the key word is chaos. And they talked about that, that they don't want Syria to slip into chaos, understandably. And that we were hearing from some of the foreign ministers that they believe that that means that remnants of the Assad regime officials need to take part in the government.
Global News Podcast
South Korea's president impeached
It can't just be stripped away as we saw in Iraq, as I guess we saw in Libya. I mean, the Iraqi foreign minister mentioned Libya, said we do not want to see another Libya in the region. So I think that's a huge concern. There were eight Arab countries there, including Saudi Arabia, including the UAE.
Global News Podcast
South Korea's president impeached
And, I mean, the other message, which, again, we've been hearing again and again, is that this government needs to be representative of all Syrians. That means all the ethnic groups, all the different political groups. And, of course, there's still a big question mark over that. And we've been hearing from HTS that same message coming time and time again.
Global News Podcast
South Korea's president impeached
Some people are suspicious because of its past, but others just wonder if... in the circumstances which they're now trying to deal with, whether it's possible to navigate towards that kind of smooth transition, if it's possible to live up to those promises, even if the groups involved genuinely believe in them and genuinely want to work towards them.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-22-2024 10PM EST
Ahmed Alshara has promised to unite Syria after years of war and division, insisting that Syrians themselves must come together to work for a better future without foreign interference. That was how he framed his call for the state to take over all military operations. but he was speaking to the foreign minister of Turkey, which has given him vital support.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-22-2024 10PM EST
Ankara sees the Syrian Kurds as a terrorist group and wants to prioritise the dismantling of their armed forces. If Mr. Al-Sharaf follows the Turkish lead, it may result in new conflict.