Syrian rebels take first steps to form government and stabilize country after Assad ousted

• Rebels announce reward for information on those involved in torture.
• Syrians hope to create state of freedom, equality: UN envoy.
• “We will join efforts to rebuild our country,” says Koussay Aldahhak.

DAMASCUS, NEW YORK: Syrian rebels, whose swift capture of Damascus toppling former President Bashar al-Assad has unnerved the region and the world, are now working to form a government and restore order to the country after much turmoil .

The United Nations Security Council met behind closed doors late Monday, and diplomats said they were still shocked at how quickly Assad’s ouster had unfolded in 12 days, after a 13-year civil war that had been deadlocked for years.

“Everybody was taken by surprise, everybody, including the council members. So we have to wait and see and watch […] and assess how the situation will develop,” Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia told reporters after the body’s meeting.

Moscow has played an important role in supporting the Assad government and helping it fight the rebels. The Syrian leader left Damascus for Moscow on Sunday, ending his family’s brutal 50-year rule.

With the mood in Damascus still celebratory, Assad’s Prime Minister Mohammed Jalali agreed on Monday to hand over power to the rebel-led Salvation Government, an administration based in rebel-held territory in northwestern Syria.

Top rebel commander Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, met with Jalali and Vice President Faisal Mekdad to discuss the transitional government, a source familiar with the discussions said. Reuters.

Jalali said the delivery could take days to take place.

Meantime, Al Jazeera it said the transitional authority would be headed by Mohamed al-Bashir, who led the Salvation Government.

The steamship advance of the rebel alliance led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, was a generational turning point for the Middle East.

The civil war that began in 2011 has killed hundreds of thousands, sparked one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left bombed-out cities in ruins, the countryside desolate and the economy devastated by global sanctions.

However, the rebel alliance has not communicated plans for Syria’s future, and there is no template for such a transition in the divided region.

“Accountability for torture, war crimes”

Oil prices rose more than 1 percent on Monday, partly on concerns that instability in Syria, which is not a major oil producer, could increase regional tensions, analysts said.

“This is an incredible moment for the Syrian people,” Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said in New York.

“Now we’re really focused right now on trying to see where the situation is going. Can there be a governing authority in Syria that respects the rights and dignity of the Syrian people?”

The US has been looking for ways to engage with Syrian rebel groups and is reaching out to partners in the region such as Turkey to begin informal diplomacy, Washington said.

Qatari diplomats spoke with HTS on Monday, according to an official briefed on the developments Reutersas regional states struggle to open contact with the group.

There were telltale signs of a return to order. Syria’s banks will reopen on Tuesday and the oil ministry has called on all employees in the sector to go to work on Tuesday, adding that protection will be provided to ensure their safety.

Reuters Reporters saw four minibuses arrive at the Central Bank of Syria, with employees disembarking and entering the building for their first day of work since the fall of Assad.

“It’s a new change, it’s a new day, a new year, a new life,” Sumayra al-Mukli said.

Golani has vowed to rebuild Syria, and HTS has spent years trying to soften its image to appease foreign nations and minority groups in Syria.

But fears of retaliation remained. HTS said it would not hesitate to hold to account security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people, describing them as criminals and murderers.

“We will publish a list that includes the names of the highest officials involved in torturing the Syrian people,” Golani said in a statement.

“Rewards will be offered to those who provide information on senior military and security officers involved in war crimes.”

HTS has been designated a terrorist organization by several states and the UN, and its governance credentials are uncertain.

“Syrians are eager to establish a state of freedom, equality, rule of law, democracy and we will join efforts to rebuild our country, rebuild what was destroyed and rebuild the future, a better future of Syria,” the UN said of Syria. Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak told reporters.