DAMASCUS: Syria's new rulers have appointed a foreign minister, the official Syrian news agency (SANA) said on Saturday, as they seek to build international relations two weeks after Bashar al-Assad was ousted. The ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration said that this step "comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability".
Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of a rebel government in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, the General Command said. Syria's new de facto ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has actively engaged with foreign delegations since assuming power, including hosting the UN's Syria envoy and senior US diplomats. Sharaa has signalled a willingness to engage diplomatically with international envoys, saying his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development. He has said he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council on Friday extended a long-running peacekeeping mission between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights for six months and expressed concern that military activities in the area could escalate tensions. In the resolution adopted on Friday, the Security Council stressed "that both parties must abide by the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic and scrupulously observe the ceasefire." — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
