Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa spoke in New York at a discussion session of the Atlantic Council moderated by Brett McGurk. He addressed talks with Israel, the Golan Heights, regional security, foreign military presence, the political transition, and relations with neighboring countries. His central message was that Damascus continues to pursue diplomacy but is not prepared to trade away the security and rights of Syrians.
According to him, negotiations with Israel have repeatedly come close to an agreement, but Tel Aviv backed away at the last moment for various reasons. Al-Sharaa stressed that a lasting peace must be based on protecting the security and rights of Syrians, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories occupied after the fall of the previous regime. He called the Golan Heights Syrian land recognized by the UN and said the issue was not open to discussion. He recalled a joke he made during a conversation with Trump: why not give New Jersey to Israel, since the Golan Heights do not belong to Israel while New Jersey belongs to the United States? At the same time, he said, the Golan Heights belong to their inhabitants, and no president has the right to dispose of them.
Regarding the events of October 7, al-Sharaa said he understood the suffering of innocent people but rejected attempts to make those events the foundation of all policy or to define attitudes toward Syria through them. He urged people to understand the situation in Gaza, where, he said, more than 70,000 people—including women and children—had been killed. In his view, basing Israel’s policy toward Syria on the logic of October 7 was irrational and only increased security threats. If Israel wants guarantees, it should respect the security of others and change course, because stability in the region benefits everyone, including Israelis.
Speaking about the foreign military presence, al-Sharaa said Damascus sought Syria’s full sovereignty and the absence of foreign military bases. The new authorities, he said, inherited Russia’s presence and chose dialogue with Moscow; the number of Russian bases had fallen from approximately 170 to two, which had been repurposed to train the Syrian army. He called the withdrawal of US troops the most successful such withdrawal for the United States—one carried out safely and by mutual understanding, without war. In the northeast of the country, he added, the state controlled most of the territory, while the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had been dissolved and were operating under state auspices. At the same time, he distinguished between integrating an armed group and relations with the Kurdish community, whose rights to culture and language had been recognized in a separate decree.
In the political sphere, al-Sharaa said the People’s Council would form a committee to review laws and another committee that would begin drafting a constitution. He expected the process to be completed before the end of the five-year term. As he described it, the transition began with the consolidation of security, followed by a national conference, the publication of the Constitutional Declaration, the formation of a government, and elections to the People’s Council. He acknowledged that the elections had not been perfect but said they were appropriate for the stage. The Constitutional Declaration, signed on March 13, 2025, establishes a five-year transitional period from the date it enters into force. Asked whether he might run for president, he said he had not yet considered it and was focused on serving the people and developing the country, but did not rule out participating if the task required his presence: “I will run to do it, because evading responsibility or fleeing from it does not always free one from it.”
He also addressed Lebanon and Iraq. According to him, Damascus’s approach to Lebanon was based on strengthening the government and institutions, as well as placing weapons under state control; no weapons should operate outside the law or the authority of Beirut. Syria, he noted, wanted to improve Lebanon’s economic and social conditions and overcome the legacy of the previous regime by discussing political reforms and the proper implementation of the Taif Agreement, since instability in Lebanon directly affects Syria. Speaking about Iraq, he said the American war had left a heavy legacy and contributed to the expansion of Iranian influence, while the Iraqi prime minister was trying to limit the weapons of groups operating outside state institutions. He also mentioned a project to connect Iraqi oil fields to Syrian ports as an alternative to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal. He described relations with the government of Iraqi Kurdistan as very good, including economic cooperation and security coordination.
On building the army and security agencies, al-Sharaa said the process began with dissolving factions and bringing weapons under state auspices within a unified army, after which admission criteria were developed and training camps established. However, the need to prevent the country’s collapse and fill the vacuum after the regime’s fall forced the authorities to quickly accept a large number of people willing to serve, initially without applying stringent selection requirements. He acknowledged that incidents had occurred during the transitional period, including within the army and security forces, and that some countries were helping train Syrian forces.
Responding to questions about his past and ties to al-Qaeda, al-Sharaa denied involvement in the September 11 attacks: “I had nothing to do with that; I was thirteen years old at the time.” He expressed regret over the victims in the United States and the Middle East. In response to repeated questions about his former oath of allegiance, he said the circumstances had been different and had pushed many young people in that direction. Regarding American journalist Austin Tice, he said he had met with Tice’s mother and introduced her to his own mother, who had once believed that he had been killed. According to him, around 150,000 Syrians were still listed as missing. The national authority for missing persons sought to draw on international experience in forensic medicine and criminalistics, while the government was trying to share with Tice’s family any information it received, without disclosing details related to security and intelligence.
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Which UN resolutions establish the status of the Golan Heights as Syrian territory, and why does Israel consider them part of its country? — The status of the Golan Heights as occupied Syrian territory is confirmed primarily by UN Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), which call for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories and a settlement based on the “land for peace” principle, as well as Security Council Resolution 497 (1981), which declared Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights null and void and without international legal effect. Annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the “Occupied Syrian Golan” also affirm Syrian sovereignty. Israel considers the Golan Heights part of its country because of their strategic importance—their elevation and control over northern Israel and Mount Hermon—water resources, including the Sea of Galilee basin, historical and biblical ties, and security considerations following their capture in 1967. In 1981, Israel annexed the territory, but the UN does not recognize the move; the sole exception is the United States, which recognized it in 2019.
What are the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and why is their dissolution and integration into state structures considered important for northeastern Syria? — The SDF are a multinational military alliance created in 2015 with US support. Their core consists of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG/YPJ), alongside Arab, Assyrian, Turkmen, and other formations. The SDF played a key role in defeating the Islamic State and controls a significant part of northeastern Syria, including oil and agricultural areas, the al-Hol camp, and prisons holding Islamic State militants. Their dissolution and integration into state structures could restore Damascus’s central authority in the northeast, prevent the country’s division, reduce the threat of a Turkish invasion—Ankara considers the SDF linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)—settle Kurdish rights, ensure the management of resources and camps, stabilize the region, and prevent a new cycle of war and humanitarian crisis.
Which Russian military bases remain in Syria, and why has their number fallen from approximately 170 to two? — The main Russian facilities remaining are Hmeimim Air Base in Latakia and the naval facility in Tartus; a logistics center in Tartus is also sometimes mentioned. The reduction from approximately 170 facilities—including temporary bases, forward posts, observation points, and airfields established during the 2015–2017 operation—to two permanent bases is explained by the end of the main phase of the military operation, the reduction of the contingent after the defeat of the Islamic State, and the need to concentrate forces at permanent bases. In addition, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, Russia lost the support of the previous authorities, was forced to evacuate many facilities, and concentrated on Hmeimim and Tartus. Their future, however, depends on negotiations with Syria’s new authorities.
What is the Taif Agreement, and how is it connected to Syria’s role in Lebanon? — The Taif Agreement (1989) was an accord developed under the auspices of the League of Arab States that ended Lebanon’s civil war (1975–1990). It redistributed power among the Christian and Muslim communities, weakened the powers of the Maronite president, and strengthened the roles of the Sunni prime minister and Shiite speaker of parliament. Its connection to Syria is that Taif recognized Syria’s “special relationship” with Lebanon and effectively legitimized the temporary Syrian military presence introduced in 1976. The agreement provided for the withdrawal of Syrian troops, but Damascus interpreted this as something that could occur after stabilization, and the troops remained until 2005, when Syria withdrew them following the assassination of Rafik Hariri and the Cedar Revolution.
Full version: Al-Sharaa in an extensive interview: What did he say about Israel, October 7, September 11, and running for president?