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- Alone without everyone: Syria's new cabinet has caused disappointment among the opposition
Alone without everyone: Syria's new cabinet has caused disappointment among the opposition
The announcement of the formation of a new government in Syria is already causing concern among some opposition segments, as the cabinet consists entirely of ministers of the self-proclaimed Idlib administration, a structure that has long acted as an alternative to the official authorities. This was told to Izvestia in Syrian opposition circles. Meanwhile, the new authorities have taken the largest city in the northeast of the country, Deir-ez-Zor, from the US-backed Kurdish formations, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). And pro-Turkish formations in the north pushed the Kurds out of Manbij. Against this background, the commander of the SDF declared its readiness to dialog with the armed opposition.
Reaction of the Syrian opposition to the new government
Late in the evening of December 10, it was announced that a new interim cabinet had been established in Syria. It was joined by ministers of the so-called "Syrian Salvation Government" - the self-proclaimed Idlib administration overseen by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (a terrorist organization banned in Russia). It will be in place until March 2025 to resolve constitutional issues. This monopolization of power in the hands of one, albeit the strongest group, is causing the expected rejection among some sectors of the Syrian opposition.
- Beginning to form a government in this way presents a challenge on several planes. At the political level, it is a homogeneous government composed of one force, albeit a transitional one. It does not imply consensus or a mood for joint solutions," Anas Judeh, founder of the National Construction Movement (based in Damascus), explained to Izvestia.
In his opinion, there is a big problem at the legal level, since theoretically the previous constitution still exists. No one has abolished it or suspended it.
- This means that there is a legal constitutional problem because the decisions of this government are illegitimate. Where have we come to and what are the general lines of this transitional phase? Who is in power? They have established the Military Council, the Revolutionary Command Council, but we don't know who is in power," Anas Judeh notes.
The opposition spokesman believes that there is also a lack of competence of the new Syrian cabinet.
- This is the same government that used to run or help run things in Idlib, a small town in northern Syria. And now they are going to become ministers themselves to run things in the whole country. I think they are very poorly qualified to deal with all the problems the republic is facing," Anas told Judeh.
"The "Salvation Government" represented the centerpiece of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's administrative and economic project in Idlib. It was formed in November 2017. In January 2019, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham extended its jurisdiction over the entire northwest. Among the ministers of this government are non-partisan technocrats and emissaries of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Jamal Suleiman, a representative of the "Cairo" opposition group and a member of the "Syrian Negotiating Committee," believes that the formation of such a government is not conducive to creating the conditions for a political transition. In his opinion, the political transformation in Syria should be realized on the basis of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254 with the imperative of preserving state institutions. According to him, there was no discussion with the various political forces in forming the cabinet.
Notably, since no country recognized the Idlib government as the sovereign or legitimate representative of the Syrian people, the cabinet lacked a foreign ministry and the Department of Political Affairs handled foreign relations. On November 29, 2024, the department issued a statement calling on the Russian Federation to end its support for the Syrian government and noted that it seeks to "build positive relations based on mutual respect and common interests with all countries in the world, including Russia."
The former government's foreign minister, Bassam al-Sabbah, is outside Damascus, according to former Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali. On December 10, the department met with the ambassadors of Iraq, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Italy. Qatar, for its part, said it would reopen its embassy in Syria for the first time since 2011, when the diplomatic mission was closed.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's terrorist status
Difficulties may also arise from the fact that international organizations under the UN cannot provide support or assistance to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham due to the label of a banned terrorist organization. According to NBC, discussions on lifting the ban on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are at an early stage in the U.S., and President Joe Biden's administration expects the terrorist organization's status to be lifted as soon as possible.
- The security situation has not yet stabilized, the fighting is still going on, and the fact that they are winning militarily does not mean that this is a government of national unity. They should submit to the decision of the people, because Hayat Tahrir al-Sham does not represent over 20% of the existing forces," former representative of the National Coalition of the Syrian Opposition, activist Kamal al-Labwani told Izvestia.
The National Coalition of Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NCORS) is a structure of the opposition, it was established on November 11, 2012 in Qatar and consisted of emigrants. Since October 2015, part of the NCORS staff has been transferred to terrorist-controlled Idlib.
Meanwhile, videos of the shooting of officers and Syrian soldiers who swore oaths to the government army are circulating on social networks, despite the statements of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sheraa about a general amnesty for soldiers.
The situation on the frontline in Syria
Fighting in Syria, for all the restructuring of the power system, continues. The armed opposition, which ousted Bashar al-Assad, captured the largest city of Deir ez-Zor in northeastern Syria, knocking out the US-backed Kurdish formations, the Syrian Democratic Forces. Local authorities refused to submit to the SDF and joined the new republican authorities. SDF commander-in-chief Gen. Mazloum Abdi announced Wednesday that there would be a cease-fire in Manbij but that his fighters would be allowed to leave the city.
The leader of Kurdish detachments at the same time expressed readiness to communicate with the armed opposition. According to him, such contacts are conducted through the Americans. Local media report about the complete withdrawal of SDF fighters from the towns of Al-Mayadin and Al-Bukamal in the north-east of the country. It is here that the most oil-bearing areas are concentrated, which determines the interest of all participants in the confrontation.
On December 8, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants seized Damascus and said they had established control over the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, after talks with the opposition, decided to hand over power and left the country. Later it was reported that Assad arrived in Moscow. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 11, commenting on the issue of evacuation of the Russian military stationed at Russian bases in the republic, that Moscow was in contact with the armed opposition, controlling the situation "on the ground."
