A Very Special Guest

  On this rainy afternoon, the conference took an unexpected turn with the surprise arrival of a very special guest, Abu Mohammed al-Joulani, and his translator. Considered by many to be a terrorist leader, he was keen to defend his organization in the face of criticism from other delegations. According to him, everything you hear about his group in the media is a lie. For he has only one objective in mind: to overthrow Bashar al-Assad and build a new Syria based on Islamic Sharia law.

In a calm but firm tone, al-Joulani didn't hesitate to attack major powers such as the USA, France, and the UK, whom he accused of being the real aggressors. “We're not terrorists, we're defending our country against tyranny, isn't that what you're used to?” he declared. He also asserted that his group was ready to receive “any form of support” to bring down the Syrian regime, adding that Damascus was only “a matter of time” away.

But his speech convinced only himself. Syria's delegation immediately branded him the leader of a movement “more extremist than Al-Qaeda”, while France's delegation questioned his effectiveness. 

After his departure, discussions resumed, between those who see it as a clumsy attempt to legitimize a terrorist organization and those who think it reflects part of the Syrian reality, the debate remains open. One thing's for sure, al-Joulani livened up a conference that was beginning to sink into the depths of bureaucracy.