After 60 years, a Syrian president addresses the United Nations
After 60 years, a Syrian president addresses the United Nations
In one of the briefest speeches at the United Nations General Assembly this year, Syria's new president broke a 60-year barrier in taking to the podium to advocate for his country's future.
Less than one year ago, Ahmed al-Sharaa had a $10m bounty on his head, thanks to a US State Department terrorist designation that listed him alongside the top leaders of ISIS in Syria.
On Wednesday, the man who used to be known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani affirmed Syria's presence on the international stage, and urged the international community to lift its decades-long economic sanctions on Syria, help it pursue justice for victims of persecution, and end Israel's violations of Syrian sovereignty.
In remarks that lasted just nine minutes - perhaps a record for an Arab leader - Sharaa called for the complete lifting of sanctions and said that Syria has now "transformed from an exporter of crisis to an opportunity for peace".
"I declare before you today the triumph of truth over falsehood. Truth has come and falsehood has perished. Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world," Sharaa said.
"The Syrian story is a story of struggle between good and evil," he added. "Our story is one of the lessons of history."
That history goes back more than half a century, when internal turmoil spurred by coups and repression led to the 1970 takeover of the father of the Assad dynasty, Hafez al-Assad. His son Bashar succeeded him after his death and was in power during the 14 years of civil war that began at the onset of the Arab Spring, which left at least 500,000 Syrians dead, with some estimates putting that number closer to the million mark.
Sharaa led his al-Qaeda offshoot, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), to a hero's welcome in the capital Damascus in December. Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, a longtime ally that had swept in to bomb much of Syria's rebel-backed regions in the north and west.
"We rose in claiming our dignity. The previous regime has used the worst kind of torture against our people: chemical weapons and bombardment and torture in prison and displacement and sectarian strife," Sharaa told the General Assembly. "It has torn our country apart."
Today, he said, "we restored our right".
"This unique Syrian achievement and the solidarity between our peoples led us to try to uproot sectarianism and to fight against attempts to divide our country once again," Sharaa said, after several flareups of violence that saw government-aligned fighters killing minorities earlier this year.
"We formed commissions for fact-finding, and granted access to UN fact-finding missions. I guarantee to bring to justice everyone accountable and responsible for bloodshed," he said.
Israel's attacks on Syria
While Washington and Brussels - as well as Arab neighbours and Sharaa's backers in Turkey - have cozied up to the newly minted statesman, Israel seized on Assad's escape to repeatedly bomb what it said were weapons depots for Shia militias in Syria.
Israel later said it was protecting the minority Druze population, while also accusing Syrian troops of crossing into Israeli territory. Reuters reported this month that Israel is arming and paying the salaries of Druze militia in Suwayda in southern Syria.
"Israeli strikes and attacks against my country continue, and Israeli policies contradict the international supporting position for Syria, which threatens new crises and struggles in our region," Sharaa said.
"In the face of this aggression, Syria is committed to dialogue, and we are committed to the Disengagement of Forces Agreement of 1974 [with Israel]," he added.
"We call on the international community to stand beside us in the face of these attacks."
Israel has seized over 400 sq km of additional Syrian territory, including Mount Hermon's summit, a strategic peak rising more than 2,800 metres above sea level.
Israeli officials have celebrated these land grabs as part of a so-called "defensive strategy", but critics say Israel's campaign is a brazen act of settler-colonial expansion and part of a wider policy of regional destabilisation.
In that vein, Sharaa stressed that Syria remains in support of the Palestinian people, even as it starts anew and forms fresh alliances.
"The suffering Syria endured, we wish upon no one. We are among the peoples most deeply aware of the horrors of war and destruction. For this reason, we stand firmly with the people of Gaza," he said.
'We're back'
Outside the UN headquarters in New York, the sound of the Arab tabla could be heard in the distance, in between chants of "Suriya hurra huraa, Assad atlaa bara", meaning "Syria is free, Assad get out".
'Having someone speak for Syria for the first time in decades, I think this is a great day for Syrians'
- Ahmed Safra, traveled from out of state to visit UN
Thousands of Syrians began to pile into Dag Hammarskjold Plaza early on Wednesday morning in anticipation of Sharaa's speech.
Many told Middle East Eye that they drove in for the occasion from other states, including Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The plaza was packed, with people of all ages standing shoulder to shoulder. Teenage girls wearing Syria-branded t-shirts carefully painted the new flag, with its three stars, on each other's cheeks.
On the side, an older woman in a wheelchair was draped in a Syrian flag while also donning an embellished USA cap.
There was a sense of euphoria.
"Our president having a speech at the United Nations gives Syria back its recognition on the map as a very vital country in the Middle East," Ahmed Safra, who came from Virginia to wave his Syrian flag with friends across the street, told MEE.
"Having someone speak for Syria for the first time in decades, I think this is a great day for Syrians."
Azzam el-Khudary flew in from Illinois to celebrate.
"I've been in the United States for 25 years. I couldn't visit my own country. My father passed away. My father-in-law passed away... We couldn't get in there, and while that was heartbreaking, we were [now] finally able to go and visit," he told MEE.
"So we're connected. We're back."
Malek al-Issa, who came from Canada, expressed a very determined optimism about what lies ahead.
"Our message today is clear: the Syrian people are capable of rebuilding, of healing what has been broken, and moving forward with determination towards a future of progress and prosperity, God willing."
