Seoul Gazette - Syria president says new authorities can't satisfy everyone

The transitional 23-member cabinet -- without a prime minister -- was announced Saturday, more than three months after Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led an offensive that toppled longtime president Bashar al-Assad.

Sharaa said the new government's goal was rebuilding the country but warned that "will not be able to satisfy everyone".

"Any steps we take will not reach consensus -- this is normal -- but we must reach a consensus" as much as possible, he told a gathering at the presidential palace broadcast on Syrian television after prayers for the Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday.

The autonomous Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria had rejected the government's legitimacy the day after it was announced, saying it "does not reflect the country's diversity".

Authorities are seeking to reunite and rebuild the country and its institutions after nearly 14 years of civil war.

Some of Sharaa's closest supporters and other figures aligned with him make up the majority of the new cabinet.

Sharaa said the ministers were chosen for their competence and expertise, "without particular ideological or political orientations".

Most members are Sunni Muslim, reflecting the demographic make-up of Syria, ruled for decades by the Assad clan which belongs to the Alawite minority.

Amid international calls for an inclusive transition, the new government has four ministers from minority groups in Syria -- a Christian, a Druze, a Kurd and an Alawite, none of whom were handed key portfolios.

Sharaa said the new government's make-up took into consideration "the diversity of Syrian society" while rejecting a quota system for religious or ethnic minorities, instead opting for "participation".

"A new history is being written for Syria... we are all writing it," he told the gathering.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that the bloc was "ready to engage with the new government in order to help tackle the immense challenges ahead".

A US State Department spokeswoman, meanwhile, said Washington hoped "this announcement represents a positive step", but it would not ease sanctions until it had verified progress on priorities including acting against "terrorism".

This month, Sharaa signed into force a constitutional declaration regulating the country's transitional period, set for five years.

Some experts and rights groups have warned that it concentrates power in Sharaa's hands and fails to include enough protections for minorities.

This month also saw the worst sectarian bloodshed since Assad's overthrow, with civilian massacres in Alawite-majority areas.

Sharaa has previously vowed to prosecute those behind the "bloodshed of civilians" and set up a fact-finding committee.

P.Hwang--SG