Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met Monday with Druze several Druze officials, following statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he said that he rejects “any threat to them .” The Syrian presidency said in a statement that al-Sharaa held a meeting with Druze dignitaries and notables, and published a group of photos taken during the meeting.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa (C) is shown with the Drzue officials at the presidential palace in Damascus
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the disarmament of Syrian forces south of the capital, Damascus, in a speech he gave during an officers’ graduation ceremony held in the city of Holon, near Tel Aviv.
Sweida 24 website issued the following details on the meeting of the Druze delegation from Sweden with the Syrian president in Damascus
The meeting focused on the security and living conditions, and the future of the country.
The delegation included Sheikh Suleiman Abdul Baqi, Sheikh Leith Al-Bilaous, and Sheikh Mounis Abu Hala, as representatives of the armed factions in Sweden, as well as Engineer Karam Munzer, and other officials .
Engineer Karam Munzer told Sweida 24 that the meeting comes after the recent Israeli statements about southern Syria, where the attendees emphasized that the people of Jabal el Druze ( or Jabal Al Arab) hold the unity of the Syrian territories and reject any external interventions, stressing that the people of Sweida have endured injustice and tyranny for decades, and do not need any external command, but want a state Based on a fair law and order.
The delegation stressed its rejection of sectarianism and the necessity of building a democratic state in which the priority is for competent people. They also reaffirmed that the compass of Sweida will always point towards Damascus.
On his part, President Al-Sharaa talked about investment projects to be implemented in Sweida, as well as researching the possibility of opening a border crossing with Jordan, where Al-Sharaa confirmed that he will present the file on the Jordanian side because it needs the approval of the two countries, and joint coordination.
He affirmed that investment projects will be a priority in the next phase, and the state policy will be based on attracting investments, relying on Syrian capabilities to build the army, security, and institutions while leveraging on foreign experiences.
The Syrian President added that a new Syrian government is expected to be formed in the beginning of March, making it clear that it will be based on competencies and experiences, not on sectarian or regional allocations.
On the service side, Dr. Mustafa Bakour submitted a file that includes the most prominent needs of the Governorate of Sweida in several institutions.
Sheikh Leith Al-Blaous said in a media statement to Sweida 24, that the meeting was fruitful, researching the situation of the governorate and what it suffers from a difficult economic reality as a result of being marginalized by the former regime of Bashar Al Assad.
He emphasized his father’s stance (Sheikh Shaheed Waheed Al-Balaous, the founder of the Men of Dignity Movement), “We are patriotic and we do not accept division and separation, and we have only one homeland, which is the mother Syria.”
Sweida 24