ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, stated on Tuesday that he held extensive discussions with Syria’s interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus about the country’s political transition, the landmark agreement he signed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the violence that recently shook coastal regions in Syria’s west. “I appreciated the extensive discussion in Damascus with Mr. Ahmed al-Sharaa on all aspects of the ongoing political transition process in Syria,” Pedersen said, adding that the two sides “reviewed a full range of political, protection, security, economic, and diplomatic challenges facing the Syrian people.” Following a swift offensive, a coalition of rebel groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, toppled the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad on December 8. On January 30, Sharaa was appointed as Syria's interim president. He then vowed to form an “inclusive transitional government that would reflect Syria's diversity,” hold "free and fair elections" and preserve the country’s "civil peace" and territorial unity. On March 13, Sharaa approved a 53-article constitutional declaration that centers on Islamic jurisprudence, mandates the president be Muslim, and sets a five-year transitional period. The declaration also grants Sharaa exclusive executive powers, effectively abolishing the post of prime minister, and gives him authority to appoint a third of the legislature. The UN special envoy, Pederson, noted on Tuesday that he discussed with Sharaa the framework for Syria’s next political steps, including the upcoming legislative elections. “I discussed the importance of a transparent framework for the process of selecting and electing the interim people’s assembly [parliament] and on all other subsequent political transition steps,” Pedersen said. The UN special envoy for Syria also highlighted that a key focus of the talks was building on Syria’s “advancing progress following the positive agreement with the SDF.” SDF chief Mazloum Abdi and Sharaa on March 10 signed a landmark agreement to “integrate all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria [Rojava] under the administration of the Syrian state.” The agreement emphasized that “the Kurdish community is indigenous to the Syrian state” and stressed the need to achieve a nationwide ceasefire, facilitating the return of displaced Syrians to their homes. More recently, on April 1, the SDF and the Damascus leadership agreed to swap all prisoners and allow the SDF-affiliated internal security forces (Asayish) to remain in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood in northern Aleppo. The first prisoner exchange, comprising some 250 detainees from both sides, took place on Thursday. A day later, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the backbone of the SDF - began withdrawing from predominantly Kurdish areas, as part of the agreement. Another topic that was on Pederson’s agenda was the recent violence that shook Alawite-majority coastal regions in Syria’s west. On March 6, loyalists of the ousted Syrian dictator, Assad, clashed with security forces aligned with Sharaa’s administration. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that around 1,500 people - mostly Alawite civilians - were killed in the violence, with most casualties caused by government or government-affiliated forces. Sharaa on March 9 ordered the formation of an “independent national committee” to investigate the “reasons behind and the circumstances surrounding” the deadly clashes. Pederson on Tuesday emphasized to Sharaa “the need to prevent any renewed cycle of violence and to focus on trust-building and inclusion in political, security and economic arenas.”
