Transitional government begins work in Syria

The newly appointed prime minister has received a mandate to oversee day-to-day affairs until March 1, 2025

Syrian caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir has said his government will function until March 1, 2025, when a permanent cabinet is expected to be formed.

Al-Bashir, who previously led the government run by Islamists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Idlib, was appointed after a coalition of opposition groups captured Damascus over the weekend, ousting Syria’s longtime president, Bashar Assad.

In his first interview as prime minister, al-Bashir told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that “members from the old government and some directors from the administration in Idlib” have been invited help “facilitate all the necessary works for the next two months until we have a constitutional system to be able to serve the Syrian people.”

“Now it is time for these people to enjoy stability and calm,” al-Bashir said.

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Al-Bashir was appointed after meeting with HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani and the former prime minister in the Assad government, Mohammad al-Jalali. According to Al Jazeera, ministers from the anti-Assad HTS-led government in Idlib have arrived in Damascus.

Al Jazeera cited sources in Damascus as saying that the old security services will be dissolved and the existing anti-terrorism laws will be repealed. The new authorities will reorganize the army, while the new cabinet will prioritize security and public services, the news channel said.

Although HTS pledged to protect Syria’s religious minorities, several countries expressed concern over the group’s historic ties to Al-Qaeda and its involvement in massacres of civilians throughout the war. The group is still listed as a terrorist organization by the UN and US.

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“Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” outgoing US President Joe Biden said on Sunday. He added that Washington “will assess not just their words, but their actions.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has urged the new Syrian authorities to form a unity government that will work “in an orderly manner” and include “all parties inside Syria.”