On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met at the same table with former US Army General David Petraeus, who in 2006 led the invasion forces in Iraq and directly controlled his detention. This is reported by Al Jazeera, writes UNN.
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Syrian President al-Sharaa arrived in New York as the first head of the Syrian state in almost 60 years to participate in the UN General Assembly. He has already met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and spoken at a number of events.
At the Concordia Annual Summit, which is taking place in parallel with the General Assembly, al-Sharaa and Petraeus discussed the future of Syria and challenges for the region. The general called al-Sharaa's transformation "one of the most impressive in modern Middle Eastern history" and even admitted that he is his "admirer."
The Syrian leader stated that the war taught him to value peace: "We cannot judge the past by the rules of the present and the present by the rules of the past. Today, it is important to protect the Syrian people and the stability of the region."
He also touched upon the issue of interfaith violence in Syria, emphasizing that the previous regime was responsible for the chaos, and assured that the new government would investigate all crimes. The President promised to protect the rights of national minorities, including Kurds, but stressed that only the state army should be the armed force in the country.
Al-Sharaa stated that Syria seeks economic recovery and peace. He confirmed that security negotiations with Israel are ongoing regarding a settlement based on the 1974 agreement, although he emphasized that Israel has already carried out more than a thousand strikes on Syrian territory since the fall of Assad and still occupies the Golan Heights.