DAMASCUS: Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa pledged on Tuesday to ensure the state has a monopoly on weapons, saying, “the unity of arms and their monopoly by the state is not a luxury but a duty and an obligation”.

In a speech after the opening of a national dialogue conference at the presidential palace on the Syria’s future after Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led groups, the interim leader said he planned to establish a transitional justice committee.

“Syria is indivisible; it is a complete whole, and its strength lies in its unity,” added Sharaa, who was named interim president last month.

He earlier said that Kurdish-led forces should be integrated into the national army, as swathes of north and northeast Syria are controlled by a Kurdish-led administration whose de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded the fight that helped defeat the 2019 uprising.

Hundreds of people were seen arriving for the conference in footage published by the official SANA news agency, before discussions got underway.

“Over the past two months, we have worked on pursuing those who committed crimes against Syrians,” the interim president said. “We will work on forming a transitional justice body to restore people’s rights, ensure justice and, God willing, bring criminals to justice.”

An interim government has been charged with managing affairs until March 1, when a new government is set to be formed, reflecting “the diversity” of the population, according to the new authorities.

Ahead of the national dialogue conference, the organising committee said it would focus on transitional justice, the constitution and institutional and economic reforms.

Discussions would also be held on “Syria’s territorial unity as well as public, individual and political liberties”, the committee said.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2025