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Syrian groups must disarm to take part in national dialogue, official says

Damascus, Syria Reuters Groups that refuse to lay down their arms and submit to the defence ministry’s authority will play no part in a national dialogue on Syria’s future, a committee set up to prepare for a national conference said on Thursday. The statement raises the prospect of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which […]

Syria’s Sharaa says it will take four to five years to hold presidential election

Beirut, Lebanon Reuters Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Monday it would take between four and five years to hold presidential elections, the first time he has laid out a timeline for the vote since he was named transitional president last week. Syria’s newly appointed President for a transitional phase Ahmed al-Sharaa visits Saudi Data and […]

Head of hostage NGO believes US journalist Tice still in Syria

Damascus, Syria Reuters The head of an American organisation focused on hostage releases said on Monday he believes US journalist Austin Tice was still being held in Syria by people loyal to toppled leader Bashar al-Assad. Speaking to Reuters in Damascus, Nizar Zakka said he believed Tice was being held by “very few people in […]

Kurds, women must be included in Syria’s transition, European ministers say

Damascus, Syria Reuters All Syrian groups, including women and Kurds, must be involved in the country’s transition if Damascus wants European support, Germany’s foreign minister said after a closely-watched first meeting with the new de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday. In talks also attended by her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, Germany’s top diplomat Annalena […]

Syria eyes “strategic” ties with Ukraine, Kyiv vows more food aid shipments

Damascus, Syria Reuters Syria hopes for strategic partnerships with Ukraine, its new foreign minister told his Ukrainian counterpart on Monday, as Kyiv moves to build ties with the new Islamist rulers in Damascus amid waning Russian influence. Russia was a staunch ally of ousted President Bashar al-Assad and has given him political asylum. Moscow has […]

Syria’s de facto leader says holding elections could take up to four years

Cairo, Egypt Reuters Holding elections in Syria could take up to four years, Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said in remarks broadcast on Sunday, the first time he has commented on a possible electoral timetable since Bashar al-Assad was ousted this month. Drafting a new constitution could take up to three years, Sharaa said […]

Syria’s new rulers warn against incitement as tensions brew

Damascus, Syria Reuters Syria’s new authorities on Thursday launched a security crackdown in a coastal region where 14 policemen were killed a day before, vowing to pursue “remnants” of the ousted Bashar al-Assad government accused of the attack, state media reported. The violence in Tartous province, part of the coastal region that is home to […]

Fourteen Syrian police killed in ambush as unrest spreads

Damascus, Syria Reuters Fourteen members of the Syrian police were killed in an “ambush” by forces loyal to the ousted government in the Tartous countryside, the transitional administration said early on Thursday, as demonstrations and an overnight curfew elsewhere marked the most widespread unrest since Bashar al-Assad’s removal more than two weeks ago. Syria’s new […]