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Manap Tlass: The Need to Transfer Authority to the State and Establish a Secular National Army
Exclusive to Levant News
Paris, September 13, 2025
Colonel Syrian Manap Tlass delivered a lecture on Saturday, September 13, at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Paris "Sciences Po," attended by members of the Syrian community in France and European journalists. Tlass emphasized that his efforts are not focused on gaining power but on building the Syrian state through real institutions.
He highlighted the importance of active participation in power and establishing a state based on justice and security to build trust and attract investments within the framework of the rule of law. He called for the transfer of authority from President Ahmad Shara to state institutions, stressing the necessity of forming a secular national army that respects Syrian diversity and provides security for citizens.
Tlass explained that he established a military council comprising thousands of officers to ensure unity of the gun, free from foreign agendas. He considered that transferring authority to the military council supports the construction of the state.
He confirmed that the political process should start from UN Security Council Resolution 2254, with amendments that align with the transitional phase, led by a participatory governing body including all political and social forces. He also noted the moderate nature of Syrian Islam.
He pointed out that external challenges and lack of trust hinder Syria's recovery, emphasizing that the army should remain central, while the powers of cities can be expanded within the framework of the constitution. Regarding normalization with Israel, Tlass stressed the difficulty of discussing this issue amid current weakness, indicating that peace requires Syria to regain its full strength and sovereignty.
