A national dialogue conference will begin Monday in Damascus

A national dialogue conference is set to take place on Monday over two days in Syria, where an HTS-led coalition has come to power after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad, a member of its preparatory committee told AFP on Sunday.

The conference "will start Monday afternoon and continue on Tuesday," specified Hind Kabawat.

The new Syrian authorities formed a committee in mid-February composed of seven people, including two women, tasked with preparing this "national dialogue conference" intended to represent all Syrians.

During a press conference on Sunday in Damascus reported by the official Sana agency, two members of this preparatory committee said they began working immediately and that the committee had managed to hold meetings "in several Syrian provinces, with the participation of about 4,000 men and women" to express their expectations.

According to the committee, the conference will focus on "transitional justice, the constitution, institutional and economic reform, the unity of Syrian territory, as well as public and individual freedoms and political freedoms."

Recommendations will be issued at the conclusion of the conference, "which will serve as the basis for the constitutional declaration, the economic identity, and the institutional reform plan," according to the committee.

The conference represents "the first step in a long national process requiring continuous collective work to build a new Syrian national identity that preserves civil peace and realizes the aspirations of the Syrian people," the committee continues.

A coalition led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took power on Dec. 8 in Damascus, and its leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, was appointed president in January.

An interim government is tasked with managing current affairs until March 1, at which time Syria is to have a new government reflecting "the diversity" of the Syrian people, according to the new authorities.