Syria's new govt to suspend constitution, parliament

DAMASCUS, Dec 12 (AFP/BBC): Syria's new government spokesman told AFP on Thursday the country's constitution and parliament would be suspended for the duration of the three-month transition period following president Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

"A judicial and human rights committee will be established to examine the constitution and then introduce amendments," Obaida Arnaout told AFP.

The current constitution dates back to 2012 and does not specify Islam as the state religion.

Rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized the capital Damascus on Sunday, sending Assad fleeing into exile.

On Tuesday, they named Mohammed al-Bashir, who headed the rebels' self-proclaimed "Salvation Government" in their northwestern bastion of Idlib, as the country's transitional prime minister until March 1.

Arnaout said a meeting would be held on Tuesday "between Salvation Government ministers and the former ministers" of Assad's administration to carry out the transfer of power.

Thanks eight countries

that reopen missions

Syria's new government thanked eight countries on Thursday for swiftly reopening their diplomatic missions after a lightning rebel offensive ousted president Bashar al-Assad at the weekend.

The offensive, which took just 10 days to sweep across Syria and take the capital Damascus, stunned the world and brought an end to more than a half a century of brutal rule by the Assad clan.

The rebels, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), appointed an interim prime minister on Tuesday to lead the country until March.

The new government's department of political affairs issued a statement thanking Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman and Italy "for resuming the activities of their diplomatic missions in Damascus".

Rebel leader vows to shut down notorious

Assad prisons

Syrian rebel forces have said they plan to close the notoriously harsh prisons run by ousted president Bashar al-Assad and hunt those involved in the killing or torture of detainees.

Rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, also said he would dissolve the security forces of the former regime, in a statement seen by the Reuters news agency.

Videos showing thousands of prisoners being freed from Saydnaya prison - referred to as a "human slaughterhouse" by rights groups - surfaced after the collapse of the Assad government on Sunday.