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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is attempting to consolidate his power and may later increase pressure on the country's Kurds, an analyst said.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Rudaw that he believes that Sharaa is trying to “consolidate his power outside of Kurdish areas first and when he becomes strong enough, he will probably ramp up pressure on Kurds.”
Sharaa gave a brief speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier this week, which lasted about nine minutes. It contained some contradictions. He was introduced as the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, but spoke about creating a Syria that includes everyone. He didn't mention with a single word Syria's second-largest nation, the Kurds, despite decades of oppression under previous Syrian authorities, such as banning their language and cultural celebrations.
During his visit to America, Sharaa had no Kurdish representatives or other minorities with him.
In his speech, Sharaa declared victory over the Ba’ath regime - led by Bashar al-Assad and previously by his father, Hafez al-Assad - which ruled Syria for over six decades.
In a swift offensive in early December, a coalition of opposition forces led by the now dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - then led by Sharaa - toppled the Assad regime.
Appointed interim president in January, Sharaa described the uprising as a victory that “transformed Syria from a country that exports crises” into one that “represents an opportunity for peace and prosperity in the entire region.”
In March, Sharaa signed an agreement with Kurds in northeast Syria (Rojava) to integrate the Kurdish enclave into state institutions. However, both sides are struggling with proceed with the discussion due to differences.
Despite concerns about Sharaa's governance, Europeans are open to lift all sanctions on Syria.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Rudaw on Tuesday that his country wants to lift sanctions on Syria and support the interim government in Damascus.
"We need to work for unity. All the Syrians — Christians, Jewish, Muslims, Druze — are Syrians," the top diplomat stressed. "This is the key point."
Namo Abdulla contributed to this article.
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