Caretaker Syrian PM calls for 'stability and calm'

DAMASCUS Syria's new transitional prime minister on Dec 10 said it was time for "stability and calm" in the country, two days after longtime president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive.

The rebels appointed Mr Mohammad al-Bashir as the transitional head of government to run the country until March 1, a statement said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged all nations to support an "inclusive" political process in Syria, saying the US would eventually recognise a government if it meets such standards.

"Now it is time for the people to enjoy stability and calm," Mr Bashir told Qatar's AI Jazeera television, in his first interview since being appointed.

He also told Italy's Corriere della Sera daily that one of his first goals was to "bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are abroad".

"Their human capital, their experience will allow the country to flourish," he said in an interview published on Dec 11.

"Mine is an appeal to all Syrians abroad: Syria is now a free country that has earned its pride and dignity. Come back. We must rebuild, be reborn, and we need everyone's help." A senior official told US broadcaster NBC that Mr Assad was in Moscow after he fled Syria as an Islamist-led rebel alliance swept into Damascus on Dec 8, ending five decades of brutal rule by his clan.

Mr Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the Islamist leader who headed the rebel offensive, had announced talks on a transfer of power and vowed to pursue former senior officials responsible for torture and war crimes.

His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, is rooted in Syria's Al-Qaeda branch and is proscribed by many Western governments as a terrorist organisation, though it has sought to moderate its image.

Mr Blinken said the future government of Syria should be "credible, inclusive and non-sectarian".