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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attended a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday, working to allay concerns about the transitional government in Damascus during his first visit to the United States since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Addressing the Security Council after raising the new Syrian flag at the UN headquarters, Shaibani called it a “historic” day.
“This flag is not a mere symbol, but rather a proclamation of a new existence that is borne out of suffering, embodying a future that emerges from resilience and a promise of change after years of pain,” he said.
“Today, we have successfully integrated Syrian competences, skills, and diversity into a transitional government,” and are working towards the creation of a national parliament, he said, adding that “Syria today is for all Syrians.”
He called for the lifting of sanctions as a “crucial step in transforming Syria from a country known for its dark past to an active and powerful partner for peace, prosperity, and international economy” and asked the Security Council to pressure Israel to withdraw from Syria.
Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Osama Abdel Khalek, had a meeting held with the Syrian delegation on the sidelines of the UN meeting.
“We heard a lot of good things about the new direction of the leadership and its commitment to inclusivity and to keeping the society in cohesion and in pushing forward with all the agendas,” Khalek told Rudaw.
“In the United Nations, [there are] some apprehensions about the length of the transitional period which is shared by some of our Arab countries, but they are giving assurances that it is not at the expense of the quality of the process itself and that the process is going to be as thorough and as inclusive and as productive and positive as it could be,” he added.
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, appointed in January, pledged to form an inclusive transitional government reflecting the country’s diversity. However, he has faced domestic and international criticism for marginalizing minority communities within his new cabinet and cementing executive authority and Islamic law in a transitional constitution.
Khalek said they discussed key issues such as chemical weapons, human rights, and refugee return, as well as how to assess progress in Syria “in order to start working on lifting the sanctions.”
He emphasized the support of Arab countries for Syria, particularly due to its “commitment to the roadmap that has been crafted” and the formation of the new government, adding that “the constitutional process will start soon.”
The Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations, Ahmet Yildiz, also highlighted the need to lift sanctions on Syria and expressed optimism about the country’s progress.
Addressing the Security Council after raising the new Syrian flag at the UN headquarters, Shaibani called it a “historic” day.
“This flag is not a mere symbol, but rather a proclamation of a new existence that is borne out of suffering, embodying a future that emerges from resilience and a promise of change after years of pain,” he said.
“Today, we have successfully integrated Syrian competences, skills, and diversity into a transitional government,” and are working towards the creation of a national parliament, he said, adding that “Syria today is for all Syrians.”
He called for the lifting of sanctions as a “crucial step in transforming Syria from a country known for its dark past to an active and powerful partner for peace, prosperity, and international economy” and asked the Security Council to pressure Israel to withdraw from Syria.
Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Osama Abdel Khalek, had a meeting held with the Syrian delegation on the sidelines of the UN meeting.
“We heard a lot of good things about the new direction of the leadership and its commitment to inclusivity and to keeping the society in cohesion and in pushing forward with all the agendas,” Khalek told Rudaw.
“In the United Nations, [there are] some apprehensions about the length of the transitional period which is shared by some of our Arab countries, but they are giving assurances that it is not at the expense of the quality of the process itself and that the process is going to be as thorough and as inclusive and as productive and positive as it could be,” he added.
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, appointed in January, pledged to form an inclusive transitional government reflecting the country’s diversity. However, he has faced domestic and international criticism for marginalizing minority communities within his new cabinet and cementing executive authority and Islamic law in a transitional constitution.
Khalek said they discussed key issues such as chemical weapons, human rights, and refugee return, as well as how to assess progress in Syria “in order to start working on lifting the sanctions.”
He emphasized the support of Arab countries for Syria, particularly due to its “commitment to the roadmap that has been crafted” and the formation of the new government, adding that “the constitutional process will start soon.”
The Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations, Ahmet Yildiz, also highlighted the need to lift sanctions on Syria and expressed optimism about the country’s progress.
“Many countries are reconsidering it [sanctions] and the needs and the necessities requirements are very obvious, and the performance of the new administration on domestic reconciliation and international relations is on the right track,” Yilmaz told Rudaw on Friday.
Several Western countries have warned that lifting of some sanctions imposed on Assad's regime is conditional on the new authorities forming an inclusive government.
Addressing the Security Council, UN special envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen noted the progress the interim government has made, but said much more remains to be done. “Plans for establishing the rule of law, a new social contract, and ultimately free and fair elections remain to be seen,” he said.
He also called for the lifting of sanctions, saying “This is essential to reactivate Syria’s economy, to realize concrete support from the region, and to enable many to actively participate in a national effort to rebuild their country.”
With respect to the Kurdish-led administration in the northeast (Rojava), which last month signed an agreement with Damascus to integrate its institutions into the national ones, Pedersen said that “major challenges” still exist, including the presence of the Islamic State (ISIS), and demands for Kurdish rights and decentralization.
“Both sides will need the political will to compromise so that northeast Syria can be integrated through a Syrian-Syrian process in a way that maintains stability in the country and the region, and restores Syria’s sovereignty and unity,” he said.
Speaking to Rudaw, Pedersen called the agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus “extremely important.”
It sends a message of hope to all of Syria that you can solve things peacefully, through negotiations led by the Syrians themselves,” he said.
Updated at 10:13 pm
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