Syrian leader al-Julani: Elections will require four years of preparation

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, known colloquially as "Julani," gave an interview published today (Sunday) by Al-Arabiya, where he addressed the multiple challenges his country faces after over a decade of civil war with the now deposed dictator Bashar Assad.

Regarding the internal political structure of the country, Julani said that Syria will not be divided in any way, and that the Kurds are an integral part of the country, though he would not allow the country to serve as a base for terrorist attacks, hinting at Turkey which formally seeks to attack the Syrian Kurds for this reason.

Julani further said that negotiations are ongoing to resolve the conflict between Turkey and the Kurds in northeastern Syria.

Julani said that it would take at least four years of preparations before Syria could hold elections, including a proper population census. In the meantime, a provisional government would rule, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Jihadist organization which led the successful campaign against Bashar Assad, would be dissolved along with the others into a national whole at an upcoming dialogue conference.

Regarding Russia, Julani said that he wants to be on good terms with Russia, "the second most powerful country in the world," and that he does not want Russia to leave its bases in Syria in a way that humiliates them.

Regarding Iran, Julani said that he wished the Iranians had stood with the Syrian people against Assad instead of the opposite, and that he hopes that Iran reconsiders its regional interventions.