Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has stated that the unification of Syria after years of civil war should not be achieved "by military force" and has accused Israel of interfering in the south of the country.
Mr. Shara, whose comments were reported on Sunday by official media, spoke on Saturday, the day hundreds of people demonstrated in the southern province of Suwayda, which has a Druze majority, to denounce the communal violence of July and demand the right to self-determination.
"We overthrew the regime (of Bashar al-Assad) to liberate Syria, and we still have another battle to fight, that of unifying Syria," Mr Chareh told senior officials and dignitaries from the north-western province of Idlib.
"This must not be done through bloodshed or military force (...) but through agreement, because Syria is tired of war," he added.
Mr Chareh asserted that "Syria is not threatened with division. Some want that and the creation of cantons, but it is impossible. Some parties are seeking power through regional powers, Israel or others," he accused.
During the rally in Suwayda, some demonstrators waved Israeli flags and called for self-determination for the region. "Free Suwayda" and "Al-Jolani get out," they chanted, referring to Mr Chareh, formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani when he led an Islamist rebel group.
The week-long clashes in Soueida broke out on 13 July between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouins, before spreading with the intervention of government forces and volunteers from other regions.
Damascus claims that its troops intervened to put an end to the violence. But witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused them of siding with the Bedouins and committing abuses against the Druze.
According to the SOHR, the violence left around 1,600 people dead, mostly Druze civilians.
Mr Chareh acknowledged that Suwayda "has been the scene of numerous violations committed by all parties, including members of the security forces and the army. The perpetrators of these violations will be held accountable for their actions".
He accused neighbouring Israel of "intervening directly in Suwayda, implementing policies aimed at weakening the (Syrian) state".
Israel, claiming to want to protect the Druze and calling for the demilitarisation of southern Syria, bombed Syrian government forces during the violence in Soueida.
Furthermore, on the subject of the agreement on the integration of Kurdish institutions into the state, Mr Chareh said that it "will be implemented. We are discussing the terms of implementation".
The Kurds control a large part of north-eastern Syria and want decentralisation, which Damascus rejects.
