Western mainstream has been celebrating the overthrow of Assad at the hands of the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani (who has reverted to his given name of Ahmed al-Sharaa).
Mainstream media has also been busy reporting every statement of his supposed 'moderate' and reform agenda. Generally these reports haven't been critical of his words, or cared to delve into the long history of killings, kidnappings, and human rights abuses of HTS (previously known as Nusrah Front, or al-Qaeda in Syria).
But Jolani has given a fresh interview interview with Al-Arabiya on Sunday in which he made clear that he doesn't expect elections to be held for up to four years. He also stated that writing a constitution for the new Syria will take three years.
Every one of his appointed transitional government ministers is from the al-Qaeda linked organization, some of them designated terrorists. For example, we reported previously:
On Thursday, Syria's de facto authorities appointed former Al-Qaeda commander and Nusra Front co-founder Anas Hassan Khattab as the head of the country's general intelligence agency.
Khattab, also known as Abu Ahmed Hudood, was blacklisted as a "terrorist" by the UN Security Council in September 2014 for his close association with Al-Qaeda.
"Organizing elections may take four years; any valid elections will require a comprehensive population census," Jolani told the Saudi-based outlet.
He claimed that this lengthy delay and preparations would happen as "preparatory to a longer interim government." In essence he's admitting that despite some hailing the dramatic events of this month as a "revolution" which brought "freedom" to Syria, the reality is that he as an unappointed ruler will control the country for many years to come.
Still, he's running a PR campaign, trying to attract Western support and investment - and the dropping of US sanctions - and so his key line has been that all Syrians will have a home in the future Syria. But Alawites, Christians, and Druze are reporting attacks and vandalism against their religious sites by unchecked foreign jihadists and intimidation by HTS members.
"The Idlib experience is not suitable for all of Syria, but it is a nucleus," Jolani said when the interviewer asked about Idlib being governed by strict Sharia law.
"I am proud of everything Saudi Arabia has done for Syria, and Saudi Arabia has major investment opportunities in Syria," Jolani also said about his relations with Saudi Arabia.
The de facto Islamist leader of Syria is anything but a champion of democracy. Elections were held within a year after collapse of Soviet Union, East Germany etc. Jolani wants 4 years to turn the Syrian state into an apparatus of Muslim Brotherhood & affiliates power https://t.co/oZiWo5LBH0
— Ghanem Nuseibeh (@gnuseibeh) December 29, 2024
"Liberating Syria guarantees the security of the region and the Gulf for the next 50 years," he added. It shouldn't be forgotten that Saudi Arabia and Qatar heavily weaponized and funded the radical Islamic insurgency against Assad and the Syrian people over much of the last decade, also with deep CIA involvement.
...So much for the revolution of 'freedom'.
