HTS leader: Syria not to pose threat to other Arab countries

DAMASCUS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) commander Ahmad al-Shara said on Friday that Syria would not be a source of tension for other Arab nations and expressed hopes to emulate Gulf development models.

In an interview with the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, al-Shara emphasized that Syria would no longer serve as a "platform of concern" to any Arab or Gulf state.

He underscored that "the revolutionary period" ended with the fall of the previous regime and that exporting unrest was not on the agenda.

"We won't allow Syria to attack or unsettle any Arab or Gulf country," he said in the interview, adding that his administration now seeks constructive ties fostering economic cooperation and long-term stability.

He also mentioned plans for a nationwide dialogue underway to draft a new constitution, without expounding the details.

The militant leader vowed not to seek vengeance against supporters of Bashar al-Assad's government, but he also stressed that "perpetrators of well-documented atrocities" must face justice.

Al-Shara, also known by his nom de guerre of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, led a 12-day military operation that resulted in the fall of the Assad government on Dec. 8.