Syria reveals new religiously diverse interim government

The line-up - including Druze, Alawite and Christian ministers - was rejected by the Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria.

Syria has revealed the line-up of its new interim government, which includes members of religious minorities and early veterans of the 2011 uprising against Bashar al-Assad. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced 23 new ministers on Saturday, composing a government intended to rule for five years before a constitution is settled and elections are held. Yarub Badr, a member of the Alawite religious community to which Assad belongs, was named transportation minister, while Druze Amgad Badr and Christian Hind Kabawat were announced to lead the agriculture ministry and social affairs and labour ministry, respectively. “We are witnessing the birth of a new phase in our national process, and the formation of a new government today is a declaration of our common will to build a new state,” Sharaa said in a speech during the ceremony announcing the government. "We will seek to rehabilitate industry, protect national products and create an encouraging environment for investment in all sectors. We will also strive to reform the monetary situation, strengthen the Syrian currency and prevent manipulation." On Sunday, the Kurdish-led administration in northerneastern Syria rejected the newly-formed government in Damascus, saying it failed to be inclusive of the country's minorities.
In a statement, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said they did "not consider ourselves bound by the implementation or enforcement of decisions made by this government."
"Any government that does not reflect the country's diversity and plurality cannot ensure proper governance of Syria," it said. Although the new government includes a Kurd - Education Minister Mohammad Turko - it does not involve any representatives from the AANES, who have controlled large swathes of Syria for more than a decade. The announcement comes as rights groups and foreign governments have grown increasingly concerned over the treatment of religious minorities in Syria. More than 1,000 people were killed in sectarian violence in eastern Syria in early March, with targeted killings of Alawites by armed gunmen. Sharaa has attempted to reassure both Syrians and foreign observers that his government will not persecute minorities, but his past as the former leader of al-Qaeda's branch in Syria has provoked scepticism. There has also been criticism over privatisation plans and lay-offs promised by the government.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-reveals-new-religiously-diverse-interim-government

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