File photo: Syria's de facto leader and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) chief Ahmed al-Sharaa . AFP
In an interview with the Saudi Al-Arabiya TV to be published on Sunday, Al-Sharaa said the political process in Syria would go through several stages before selecting the country's new president.
"We aspire to create a constitution that endures for the longest possible time, and this is a challenging and lengthy task," Al-Sharaa said.
He said holding proper elections is predicated on conducting a comprehensive population census, stressing that this would take some time.
Al-Sharaa, 33, previously known by his nom de guerre of Abu Mohamed Al-Jolani, served as the head of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which led the lightning offensive that toppled the government of Bashar Al-Assad in early December.
"I do not consider myself the liberator of Syria. Everyone who made sacrifices contributed to liberating the country."
Al-Sharaa stated that the Syrian factions tried to avoid casualties or displacement during what he described as the liberation process.
"We tried hard to ensure a smooth transfer of power."
"It may take Syria a year for citizens to notice significant changes in services," he said.
Disbanding Armed Factions
Al-Sharaa said that armed factions which carried out the insurgency against Bashar Al-Assad's regime, including his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, would be dissolved.
"This will be announced at the national dialogue conference, which will be inclusive of all the components of society."
He explained that the national dialogue conference would break into special committees, including one on preparing for elections.
He pointed out that the current authority will manage the country with a statesmanship mentality.
"Syria will not be a source of trouble for anyone," he added.
Kurdish issue
Al-Sharaa confirmed that his administration was holding talks with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to discuss resolving the crisis in northeastern Syria and integrate the SDF into a national armed forces.
He said Syrian Kurds are an integral part of the fabric of Syrian society, stressing that there will be no divisions in the country.
Accountability for the Assad regime
Al-Sharaa said that "the previous regime left behind huge divisions within Syrian society."
He stressed that all those who committed major crimes in the Bashar regime would face punishment.
He downplayed some retaliatory actions that were taken against some Assad regime figures, describing them as minimal compared to the regime's vast crimes, saying the main focus for his administration and the public is coexistence.
Foreign policy
Al-Sharaa said Saudi Arabia's stance toward the ongoing changes in his country was very positive and reflected that Riyadh was keen on achieving stability in Syria.
He pointed out that Saudi Arabia has significant investment opportunities in Syria.
He expressed hope that Iran, a backer of the fallen Bashar regime, would reconsider its interventions in the region and reevaluate its policies.
"We were expecting positive statements from Tehran a positive Iranian role in the region," he said.
The de facto leader also emphasized that he did not want Russia, another major backer of the Bashar regime, to withdraw its forces from the country in a manner that would be unbecoming of its relationship with Syria.
"Russia is the second strongest country in the world and Damascus has strategic interests with Moscow," he added.
"The liberation of Syria guarantees the security of the region and the Arabian Gulf for the next fifty years."
He hoped the incoming US administration under President Donald Trump would lift the sanctions on Syria.
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