Walid Jumblatt (center), former Druze leader of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), and his son Taymour Jumblatt (center-left), the current party leader, meet Syrian leader Ahmad al-Charrah (right) and interim Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir (left) during a visit to Damascus, Dec. 22, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
Syria's new leader, Ahmad al-Charrah, pledged Sunday that his country would no longer exert "negative interference" in Lebanon and would respect the sovereignty of its neighbor. The remarks were made during a meeting with a delegation led by Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.
"Syria will no longer have negative interference in Lebanon and will respect Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence in decision-making and stability," said Charrah, who assumed power two weeks ago following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
Charrah added that Syria would maintain "equal distance" from all factions in Lebanon and acknowledged that Syria had been a "source of fear and anxiety" for its neighbor.
Jumblatt, who arrived in Damascus on Sunday with a high-ranking delegation of parliamentarians and Druze religious dignitaries, is the first Lebanese leader to meet Syria’s new strongman.
The meeting took place at the presidential palace, where Charrah, known until now by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, appeared publicly for the first time in a suit and tie.
Jumblatt has long accused the Syrian regime of assassinating his father, Kamal Jumblatt, in 1977 during Lebanon’s civil war. The previous Syrian regime is also widely blamed for the assassinations of numerous other anti-Syrian Lebanese leaders.
Charrah expressed hope that the Lebanese would "erase from their memory the legacy of the old Syria in Lebanon."