UNITED NATIONS — Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, the first Syrian head of state to do so in almost 60 years. His speech marked a historic moment as crowds in Syrian cities gathered in public squares, waving national flags and watching the address on giant screens.
Al-Sharaa succeeded former president Bashar Assad, whose decades-long rule ended in December after a lightning insurgent offensive. His ouster marked a dramatic shift in Syria’s 14-year civil war. The last Syrian leader to address the U.N. was Noureddine Attasi in 1967, shortly after the Arab-Israeli war that led to Syria’s loss of the Golan Heights, later annexed by Israel in 1981.
“After six decades of dictatorship that killed 1 million people and tortured hundreds of thousands, Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world,” al-Sharaa declared in his speech.
Al-Sharaa condemned Israel, saying its policies endangered regional stability and contradicted international support for Syria and its people. Negotiations are ongoing over a possible security arrangement that could revive a 1974 disengagement agreement and lead to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from contested areas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has played down expectations of a near-term breakthrough.
In a statement Wednesday, Netanyahu’s office confirmed that talks are continuing, stressing that Israel’s conditions include the demilitarization of southwestern Syria and guarantees for the safety of the Druze minority.
Since taking office, al-Sharaa has promoted coexistence and sought to reassure minority groups, though his government has faced accusations of atrocities committed by allied fighters, particularly against Druze and Alawite civilians in southern and coastal Syria. Al-Sharaa told the U.N. that fact-finding missions were underway and pledged accountability: “I promise to bring anyone whose hands are tainted with the blood of Syrian people to justice.”
He also highlighted efforts to dismantle the Captagon drug trade that thrived under Assad. Syrian authorities, he said, had destroyed factories producing the amphetamine-like stimulant, which fueled a multibillion-dollar global trade.
Al-Sharaa urged Western governments to lift longstanding sanctions, calling them “a tool to shackle the Syrian people.” U.S. President Donald Trump, following a May meeting with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, lifted or waived several restrictions, but the toughest measures imposed by Congress in 2019 remain in place and would require a congressional vote to remove.
Speaking to reporters after his U.N. address, al-Sharaa expressed hope that sanctions would eventually be lifted. “Syria does not wish the pain it passed through for anyone,” he said, adding that the country understands “the suffering of war and destruction” and voiced support for Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Reactions to his speech highlighted Syria’s divided diaspora. In Damascus, crowds celebrated in Umayyad Square, while outside the U.N. in New York, pro- and anti-government demonstrators staged dueling rallies. Supporters carried Syria’s three-starred “revolution flag,” now the official national flag, while members of the Druze community displayed their five-colored banner.
“It’s a disgrace that New York is welcoming an ex-Qaida member at the U.N. and allowing him even to speak,” said Farah Taki, a Druze protester from Chicago whose relatives were displaced by violence in Sweida. Al-Sharaa’s insurgent group was once linked to al-Qaida before later severing ties.
In contrast, supporters praised the leadership change. “We’ve lived under tyranny for the past 50 years, and now we’re turning a new chapter,” said Dina Keenawari, a Syrian American from Florida. “And we’re proud of him.”
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
