LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Syrians inside and outside of the country woke today with euphoria and hope after the ouster of former dictator Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow. A New York activist, Marcelle Shehwaro, who fled Syria years ago, joined others to mark this historic moment.
MARCELLE SHEHWARO: The ultimate dream is if I buried in Aleppo. So what's happening now gave me a dream even beyond what I thought possible, is that I can go and live there.
FADEL: But that excitement about a new Syria comes with uncertainty about what the future holds. Will the rebel forces, led by an Islamist group once linked to ISIS, protect and respect all Syrians in a diverse society, as they say they will? Mahmoud Meslat is part of that opposition in the diaspora. He leads the Syrian Democratic Council and joins me now from Ohio. Good morning, and thank you for being on the program.
MAHMOUD MESLAT: Good morning, and thank you for having me.
FADEL: I want to start with just what you're feeling, as a Syrian, about a Syria without Assad rule for the first time in more than half a century.
MESLAT: Well, it's a historic moment. We are celebrating this new day in Syria. Syria is entering a new chapter in its history. The tide has turned, and the oppressive regime that shamed for decades of suffering has ended. Thank God, like, you know, for the new dawn. Thank God for our people, that they can come together to celebrate the freedom, to celebrate the democracy, to celebrate a new future for our Syria. We don't have to fear anybody anymore. Syria is in the path of democracy. And that is what's important - to come together in these coming days.
FADEL: It's been so moving to see those who lived under this brutal repression or had to flee Syria feel hope for the first time in so long. And, of course, that's paired with the grief over the hundreds of thousands who've been killed. But what about the concerns about the future? Has Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS - the group that led this rebel advance - changed as it says it has? And how do groups like yours plan on working with them and other rebel groups for a future free Syria?
MESLAT: Well, there is a lot of challenges ahead. But I am very sure that these days, we celebrate and we have better days than what we used to have, like, you know, during the regime era. Let's wait and see their action. I think action is stronger than words. They promise for change, and the dark ideology and radicalism is not - there is no room for that in our new Syria, in our future.
Syria has a rich history. Syria is a secular country, and we have different background. We have a lot of communities that - they are worries. But if you look at Syria, it is a land of faith and history, secular to both Muslims and Christians. Syria is the land of St. Paul. Syria is a home of John the Baptist. And we have a great history and civilization, but we have to come together. We have to defend all of those old ideology. But we look at it positively.
FADEL: Yeah.
MESLAT: Let's see. It's still in the early stage.
FADEL: And how do you see a united Syria in the future? As you note, the opposition is as diverse as Syria itself, but it has had a history of infighting. So when you think about it in this hopeful view, what would it look like? How would your group, for example, work with others?
MESLAT: Well, I think our only option - to get together, Syrian-Syrian dialogue, respect each other and open, like, dialogue among all Syrians are essential. We must look beyond our division or ethnicity to - or religion to see, like, each other simply as Syrian and talk as Syrian, and we speak in one language. This is our country, and we have duty toward our own people. They suffer for a long time. It's time to - for unity. It's time to put a plan, a roadmap for the future. It's time for reform.
It's time, like, you know, to make sure our people are satisfied and make sure that we have, like, a good, like, relation with our neighbors. It's time to defeat Iran, like, you know, and get them out of our, like, country. It's time that we defeat ISIS. It's time to defeat all those radicals. It's time to have a good relationship with our own brothers. It's a new Syria. We are very optimistic.
FADEL: And what about Assad? What do you want to see happen to him? Should he and others face trial for their crimes by a Syrian court?
MESLAT: When it comes to Assad, I don't believe in revenge. This is the way. But I think, like, I believe in law and order. I think he should be trialed in Syria. I think he's a war criminal. Syrian people suffered a lot during his ruling and his father's ruling. But I'm not a person who believe, like, revenge. I always believe, like, in justice. And they should bring him to justice in front of the Syrian people.
FADEL: Right now, there are a lot of external forces at play, as well, and the power has shifted. The U.S. is striking. Israeli forces have crossed into Syria. Turkey backs certain groups, as does the U.S. Meanwhile, Iran and Russia's influence withers. What kind of relationship do you want to see with these countries in a new Syria, and will their influence be beneficial or detrimental?
MESLAT: I think our main goal now and moving forward is to not only, like, maintain peace and stability, but also to unify our people. I want to make sure that our neighbors are safe and we have a good relationship with them. I want to make sure to open, like, through diplomacy, like, a lot of channel with our neighbors. Include Turkey. Include Israel. I want to make sure that we reach out to our own brothers - Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt - and have a good relationship.
I want to make sure to see Syria back involved in the international community and become part of the international community. Yeah. And we want to live under one flag, under one Syria, unifying Syria and unifying our people, too. This is a historic moment, my friend. I mean, we are very optimistic that we can do that.
FADEL: Will you be returning? And when was the last time you were there?
MESLAT: I just came back from there. I came to celebrate holiday, my family in the U.S.
FADEL: Yeah.
MESLAT: So I came just for a visit for, like, a couple weeks. But...
FADEL: Oh, wow.
MESLAT: ...I'm telling you - since I came, we are just celebrating. I mean, even my own kids in college, everybody, but also my neighbors here. I have great American neighbors, like, you know, celebrating with me, and I see them even crying, you know, just telling us, like, we care about you guys. That's how great the American people. They stood with us when we needed them. And I will be back. I will be back probably, like, in a few days.
FADEL: Mahmoud Meslat is president of the Syrian Democratic Council. Thank you.
MESLAT: Thank you very much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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