DUBAI: Syria’s foreign minister has told Saudi Arabian officials that the new leadership in Damascus wants to set up a government involving all parts of Syrian society following the overthrow of Bashar Al Assad last month.

Minister Asaad Hassan Al Shibani is on the first foreign trip by a member of Syria’s new administration as Western and regional powers seek signs on whether it will impose strict Islamic rule or show inclusivity in government.

Al Shibani and Syria’s defence minister met Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Thursday.

“Through our visit, we conveyed our national vision of establishing a government based on partnership and efficiency that includes all Syrian components, and working to launch an economic development plan that opens the way for investment, establishes strategic partnerships, and improves living and service conditions,” Al-Shibani said in a post on X.

Since ousting Assad on Dec 8, rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have sought to reassure Arab countries and the international community that they will govern on behalf of all Syrians and not export Islamist revolution.

HTS was Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate until it broke off ties in 2016.

Saudi Arabia backed the rebels who fought Assad at the onset of the Syrian civil war.

More recently, Riyadh had embarked on a path of normalising ties with the Assad government, paving the way for Syria to return to the Arab League in 2023, in an effort to reduce Iranian influence in the country and to stem the flow of drugs including the methamphetamine captagon.

A Saudi source close to the government told Reuters the kingdom was committed to safeguarding the peace in Syria and that fostering stability was a top priority.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025