New York: Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in New York on Sunday to attend the UN General Assembly, marking the first visit by a Syrian head of state to the assembly in nearly six decades. The last time a Syrian president addressed the gathering was in 1967, highlighting the historic nature of this visit.
According to France24.com, the last Syrian head of state to attend the General Assembly was before the Assad family's 50-year rule, which ended in December when then-president Bashar Assad was ousted in a swift insurgent offensive led by al-Sharaa. Assad's fall concluded nearly 14 years of civil war. Since taking power, al-Sharaa has focused on restoring ties with Arab countries and Western nations, where officials were initially cautious of his past connections with the al-Qaida militant group. The rebel group he previously led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was designated by the United States as a terrorist organization.
Al-Sharaa has since ordered many sanctions lifted or waived. However, the most severe sanctions, imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act passed in 2019, will require a congressional vote to be permanently removed.
Another significant topic during al-Sharaa's visit is Syria's relations with Israel, a US ally. Since Assad's fall, Israel has been wary of al-Sharaa's government and has seized a previously UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria, launching numerous airstrikes on Syrian military sites. Negotiations for a security deal that al-Sharaa hopes will lead to the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a return to a 1974 disengagement agreement have been underway. Although al-Sharaa mentioned last week that an agreement could be reached soon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed skepticism about the prospects of a breakthrough.
On the same day, Syrian election officials announced that the country's first parliamentary elections since Assad's fall would take place on Oct. 5. The People's Assembly members will be chosen through an electoral college system, with electoral bodies in each province voting for two-thirds of the seats, while al-Sharaa will appoint one third. Officials noted that direct elections are currently logistically challenging due to many Syrians having lost personal documentation or living as refugees after the civil war.