DAMASCUS: Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met with senior Christian clerics on Tuesday, amid calls on the new ruler to guarantee minority rights after seizing power earlier this month.
“The leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, meets a delegation from the Christian community in Damascus,” Syria’s General Command said in a statement on Telegram.
The statement included pictures of the meeting with Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican clerics.
Talks with Kurds
Since seizing power, Syria’s new leadership has repeatedly tried to reassure minorities that they will not be harmed, although some incidents have sparked protests.
Before the civil war erupted in 2011, Syria was home to about one million Christians, according to analyst Fabrice Balanche, who says their number has dwindled to about 300,000.
Earlier, a Syrian official told AFP that Sharaa held “positive” talks with delegates of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday.
The talks were Sharaa’s first with Kurdish commanders since his group overthrew longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in early December.
On Sunday, Sharaa told Al Arabiya television that Kurdish-led forces should be integrated into the new national army.
“Weapons must be in the hands of the state alone. Whoever is armed and qualified to join the Defence Ministry, we will welcome them,” he said.
