One of the senior Druze leaders in Syria, Sheikh Akl, Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, said he opposes an agreement with Syria's new regime - led by Ahmed al-Sharaa - due to the regime's "extremism," Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath reported on Thursday.
Sheikh Akl, the head of the Druze Unitarian Community in Syria, made the statements in a meeting in Sweida.
"There has been no agreement or consensus with the new political administration in Damascus," he is reported to have said, adding that the current transitional government is "extremist."
He added that his community "will move in the direction that is suitable for the sect."
This comes after Druze dignitaries and leadership of the Sweida district met with Sweida Governor Mustafa al-Bakour on Wednesday and signed a memorandum of understanding that focused on administrative and security affairs in the southern province, Al Arabiya added.
As part of the memorandum, Syrian regime forces would be allowed to enter Sweida, and Druze residents would be allowed to reactivate state institutions.
Sweida security
Furthermore, under the agreement, the Sweida district will be integrated entirely into the Syrian regime, with all its security services set to be transferred from local control to the control of the Syrian Ministry of Interior, according to Al Jazeera.
“The agreement states that local police officers must be from the people of Sweida," Al Jazeera added. "The agreement allows the Syrian government to appoint a governor and a police chief without requiring them to be from Sweida.”
According to Qatari media, the agreement will include the deployment of 300 security forces from Damascus, not from the existing Druze forces.