Syria to have new government on March 1

Damascus: Syria s foreign minister announced on Wednesday that a new government would take over next month from the interim cabinet formed following t...

Damascus: Syria's foreign minister announced on Wednesday that a new government would take over next month from the interim cabinet formed following the overthrow of Bashar Al Assad, vowing that it would represent all Syrians in their diversity.

The new authorities will have to rebuild Syria's institutions after more than 50 years of Assad family rule and revive an economy smashed by nearly 14 years of war.

Still weighed down by heavy international sanctions, the government will also need to persuade Western capitals that the jihadist origins of the rebels that toppled Assad are confined to the past.

Asaad al-Shaibani said the new cabinet would take into account the multi-ethnic, multi-confessional nature of the country, at a time when the international community has called for the protection of minorities.

"The government that will be launched March 1 will represent the Syrian people as much as possible and take its diversity into account," Shaibani said on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in the United Arab Emirates.