Al-Jawlani wants a contract with all religions for social justice in Syria

The leader of the Islamist-dominated coalition that took power in Syria said that a contract between the state and representatives of all religions in the country, populated by different communities, is needed to guarantee "social justice", reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.

"Syria must remain united and there must be a social contract between the state and all religions to guarantee social justice", stressed Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, who now goes by his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, quoted on the Telegram channel of the group "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" during his meeting with senior and prominent figures from the Druze community yesterday. "We will approach solving the problems using institutional and legal logic. And we will strive to achieve the best for the Syrian people. We must have a statesmanlike mindset, not an oppositional one", he added.

Al-Jawlani also said that international sanctions against Syria must be lifted so that refugees displaced by the more than 13-year conflict can return to their homeland.

Meeting with a delegation of British diplomats, he "underlined the importance of restoring relations" with London and "stressed the need to lift all sanctions imposed on Syria to allow Syrian refugees to return to their country".

The UK confirmed the meeting with the leader of the "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" group, which is on London's list of terrorist organizations.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told a press conference in London yesterday that sending a delegation "underlines our commitment to Syria", adding that Britain would support "a comprehensive political transition process led by and owned by Syrians".

A day earlier, Lammy announced "diplomatic contact" with "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham".