JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
It's been almost three weeks since rebel factions toppled the Assad regime. Now the new government wants to get Syria back on the international radar. Part of that is making its position clear on its next-door neighbor, Israel. The governor of Damascus, who is directly appointed by the president is the latest to explain that position. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi met with him and brings us this report.
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HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Sitting in a massive office furnished with Syrian arabesque wooden chairs and painted walls, Damascus governor Maher Marwan greeted the NPR team. Wearing a suit and tie, he only shook hands with the male members of the group. NPR sat down for a wide-ranging interview with the governor in which he emphasized his position on Israel. The governor said it was understandable that Israel was concerned when a new Syrian government took power because of certain, quote, "factions."
MAHER MARWAN: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "Israel may have felt fear," Marwan said. "So it advanced a little, bombed a little, etc." Israel has been striking strategic military installations in Syria since the regime fell and seized parts of the Golan Heights, stoking fears of annexation. And yet Marwan said this fear was, quote, "natural" and that, as a representative of the capitol Damascus and of the political point of view of President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the foreign ministry, he has a message.
MARWAN: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "We have no fear towards Israel, and our problem is not with Israel," he said.
MARWAN: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "And we don't want to meddle in anything that will threaten Israel's security or any other country's security," Marwan added. He made no reference to Palestinians or the war in Gaza. This is a line in keeping with the new Syrian government. Sharaa has previously said that he does not want conflict with Israel. Marwan went a step further. He called on the United States to facilitate better relations with Israel.
MARWAN: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "There exists a people who want coexistence. They want peace. They don't want disputes," Marwan said. There have been reports in Israeli media that the United States has urged Israel to engage with HTS but that it has been reluctant. A U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter told NPR that the U.S. relayed HTS' message. The official added that they had not urged either country in any direction. Marwan wants to change that.
MARWAN: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "We want peace, and we cannot be an opponent to Israel or an opponent to anyone, he said. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Damascus. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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