Syria's de facto ruler reassures minorities, meets Lebanese Druze leader

(Reuters) - Syria's de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt on Sunday in another effort to reassure minorities they will be protected after Islamist rebels led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago.

Sharaa said no sects would be excluded in Syria in what he described as "a new era far removed from sectarianism".

Sharaa heads the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main group that forced Assad out on Dec. 8. Some Syrians and foreign powers have worried he may impose strict Islamic governance on a country with numerous minority groups such as Druze, Kurds, Christians and Alawites.

"We take pride in our culture, our religion and our Islam. Being part of the Islamic environment does not mean the exclusion of other sects. On the contrary, it is our duty to protect them," he said during the meeting with Jumblatt, in comments broadcast by Lebanese broadcaster Al Jadeed.

Jumblatt, a veteran politician and prominent Druze leader, said at the meeting that Assad's ouster should usher in new constructive relations between Lebanon and Syria. Druze are an Arab minority who practice an offshoot of Islam.

Sharaa, dressed in a suit and tie rather than the military fatigues he favoured in his rebel days, also said he would send a government delegation to the southwestern Druze city of Sweida, pledging to provide services to its community and highlighting Syria's "rich diversity of sects".

Seeking to allay worries about the future of Syria, Sharaa has hosted numerous foreign visitors in recent days, and has vowed to prioritise rebuilding Syria, devastated by 13 years of civil war.



(Reporting by Hatem Maher and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Frances Kerry)