hello, i'm ben brown. syrians are daring to hope that this is truly a new chapter and that promises will be kept that this will be a government for all syrians in this very diverse society. it's an amazing moment. actually, first, we were so nervous, we couldn't believe it. like, maybe it's a dream, but actually because it's been a nightmare for us for all these years.

foreign countries intervening militarily is not the answer, i and the idea that syrian i territory can be occupied, fifa world cup, but not without criticism. and the eu's push to be the "ai continent" — we'll take a look at the 750—million—euro pledge to help the region keep up in the race.

in syria, shops are reopening and people are returning to work in the syrian capital damascus three days after the fall of the assad regime. today, rebel fighters have broken into the tomb of the former president hafez al—assad, bashar�*s father. pictures show a coffin and parts of the mausoleum in the family's hometown on fire. and large crowds gathered in a suburb of the capital damascus for what they believed would be a public execution ofone of assad's henchmen. jeremy bowen is in the syrian capital and sent us this report. if only moving from dictatorship to freedom was as simple as climbing onto an abandoned tank and posing for pictures. but the assad family was in power in syria long before these children's parents were even born.

over more than half a century, a lot of anger built up and it is being released. sometimes politely by quite families at the former president's home. it was looted after they fled, the end of what must have been an elegant lifestyle. now the house is secured by fighters from hayat tahrir al—sham, hts. they borrowed the fighters�* transfer photos the fighters�* transfer photos. until a few days ago, they would not have dared to look through the gate. the visitors were still getting used to living without fear of the regime. people were living in hell and he was in his palace, he didn�*t care about what they were going through. he made them live in fear, hunger and humiliation. even after we entered damascus, people would only whisper to us because they were still afraid. anger at the assads is a family affair. much stronger revenge

was in the minds of the crowd, a quarter of damascus that�*s suffered grievously. their fury at bashar al—assad deepened in 2013 when military intelligence operatives through at least 41 local men into a mass grave and shot them dead. a video of the massacre was leaked, and one of the killers is under arrest. people had come here to watch him being hanged. like, imagine if someone knocked on your door and brought you by force and didn't tell you anything, like, the reason why you're getting killed. throughout the afternoon, more and more people arrived until thousands blocked the streets. when rumours flew around that the execution was starting, the crowd surged back and forth, jostling for the best position, not wanting to miss a thing. the man they wanted hanged had

been the local boss, a thief as well as a killer. "he stole my house and money," they said. of course i want him dead. i would have done it - myself with my own hands but i could not find a way. i wanted to kill him! somehow they decided the execution was happening down the street and stampeded. if syria�*s new rulers do not want change to be measured in blood, they will need to control the desire for revenge. there�*s a real strong sense of excitement, expectation, anger as well. they want to see this man dead. they don�*t just want justice to be done, they want to see it being done, notjust because of his crimes, but because of the boundless cruelty of the assad regime. after 1a years,

we just want justice! in the end, there was no execution, at least not yet. it was probably a rumour, but thousands wanted it to be true. when the weight of dictatorship is lifted, powerful forces are unleashed. how they�*re dealt with shapes what comes next. jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. scenes of chaos there in damascus. let us speak to zeina kanawati, senior communications officer at women for women international. you are talking to us from berlin but you�*re hoping to go back to syria quite soon? yes. back to syria quite soon? yes, i am. back to syria quite soon? yes, i am- this _ back to syria quite soon? yes, i am- this is — back to syria quite soon? yes, i am. this is the _ back to syria quite soon? yes, i am. this is the plan. - back to syria quite soon? yes, i am. this is the plan. it's - i am. this is the plan. it�*s been for me almost ten years since i have been able to get back to my home and see my parents of this is the first thing i�*m going to do very soon. thing i'm going to do very soon. ~ . . thing i'm going to do very soon. ~ ., ., ., , ., soon. what are your thoughts at the moment _ soon. what are your thoughts at the moment a — soon. what are your thoughts at the moment a few _ soon. what are your thoughts at the moment a few days - soon. what are your thoughts at the moment a few days after- soon. what are your thoughts at| the moment a few days after the collapse of the assad regime? are you optimistic or are you nervous about what the future might bring for your country? well, what happened was all that we have been working for

this moment for the past ia years, but it was somehow a shock for us that it happened suddenly and very quickly. and it happened by... is not a chance that it happened now. it was everything we have been doing for the past ia years, but also it happened without any sense of accountability and injustice that is going to take place. so this is a bit worrying. this is concerning. we don�*t see that we have achieved what we want to achieved what we want to achieve by the assad regime falling. we still need more. with the needed see justice and accountability taking its place. so optimism is not the right word of the moment, but it is still something that we feel really content about that we don�*t have this dictatorship any more, that it has been over half a century ruling syria. but we still want more to happen, and of course we are

scared, we are anxious and we are happy at the same time. scared, anxious and happy, and one about the hayat tahrir al—sham movement at the core of the rebel group? how do you think they will treat women in syria? think they will treat women in s ria? ~ , ., _ syria? well, let me start by remembering _ syria? well, let me start by remembering how - syria? well, let me start by remembering how the - syria? well, let me start by| remembering how the assad regime was actually treating women in syria, because i don�*t think there was anything worse than the assad regime really in the country and ruling the syrian people because conditions for syrians under the assad regime and especially women and marginalised groups were actually like widespread marked by repression and violence and systematic abuse. women have faced all kinds of forced displacement and loss and forced disappearance and attention and all kinds of torture and sexual violence. and they were not even treated

well outside of their country when they became refugees. they had very limited access to health care and education. so i�*m just still trying to process what we have been through, and of course we will not agree for any similar conditions to be similar. we don�*t know yet. it�*s only been three days, and we will work for a sustainable political solution for syria, that�*s for sure. solution for syria, that's for sure. �* ., ., , .,, solution for syria, that's for sure. �* ., ., , sure. but one wonders as people who were at _ sure. but one wonders as people who were at one _ sure. but one wonders as people who were at one stays _ sure. but one wonders as peoplej who were at one stays connected to al-qaeda, whether hayat tahrir al—sham came a portable i met with to control what women wear in terms of a religious melody and so on, because we remember the iranian revolution, also the promises were made women at the beginning of that, but then of course a very draconian moral code was brought in and the religious police and so on. yeah, of course we realise

that, we understand that, we know that. we are not going back. hayat tahrir al—sham does not represent all syrians. it represents mainly a part of syria now, their mentality, with a think, that does not include all syrians. and what we want is a system that includes everyone, and especially women and marginalised groups. so personally i don�*t think that this is the right decision to have hayat tahrir al—sham in any scene ruling the country, especially seeing now what they have already chosen to be on their table are only men. we don�*t see a face of a woman already, but i mean, everything is a little bit unclear because we did not really see or record yet any case where they started to interfere and how women look anywhere. and i think personally that syria and the

syrian people are much bigger than this system, than hayat tahrir al—sham. than this system, than hayat tahriral—sham. i than this system, than hayat tahrir al—sham. i think it�*s really, really difficult to rule syrian people again with something like they refuse. really good to talk to you, and the best of luck to you and let�*s hope you can go back to syria very soon. thank you very much for being with us.- much for being with us. thank ou, much for being with us. thank you. too- _ let�*s speak tojoanne cummings, professor at baylor university with a career in us diplomacy serving extensively in the middle east. thank you very much for being with us. what are your thoughts now about what the rest of the world should do about syria, habre should syria reconstruct and rebuild and achieve hopefully some sort of path to stability and democracy? excellent questions all. i think— excellent questions all. i think we have to recognise that there _ think we have to recognise that there in— think we have to recognise that there in a — think we have to recognise that there in a sense three

different things that are going to happen concurrently in some ways _ to happen concurrently in some ways but — to happen concurrently in some ways but they are three distinct— ways but they are three distinct decisions that various countries _ distinct decisions that various countries are going to make independently. if i were to give — independently. if i were to give a _ independently. if i were to give a short answer to what i think— give a short answer to what i think various countries should be think various countries should he doing _ think various countries should be doing in syria, it would be as little — be doing in syria, it would be as little as possible. this is as little as possible. this is a time _ as little as possible. this is a time when syrians are in this very. _ a time when syrians are in this very. very— a time when syrians are in this very, very difficult process of getting — very, very difficult process of getting home, finding family, finding — getting home, finding family, finding out a family are dead, discussing how they want to move — discussing how they want to move forward. in foreign intervention in that, even if it's privileging one group over another, _ it's privileging one group over another, is going to create distortions in the process that are ultimately not going to contribute to long—term stability. so my council would be stability. so my council would he to — stability. so my council would be to give syrians space to handle _ be to give syrians space to handle this amazing transition. now— handle this amazing transition. now in— handle this amazing transition.

now in terms of the reconstruction, that is a very difficult _ reconstruction, that is a very difficult question, and here i think— difficult question, and here i think we _ difficult question, and here i think we need to look at the world — think we need to look at the world as _ think we need to look at the world as a whole because if you will recall— world as a whole because if you will recall when the syria displacement was at its height, there _ displacement was at its height, there was— displacement was at its height, there was a kind of donor fatigue _ there was a kind of donor fatigue because there were so many— fatigue because there were so many things going on in different parts of the world on displacement and everyone was being _ displacement and everyone was being tapped for funding. i think— being tapped for funding. i think right now, we have got a similar— think right now, we have got a similar problem because as horrendous as the damage has been _ horrendous as the damage has been in — horrendous as the damage has been in syria, in some ways is much — been in syria, in some ways is much more _ been in syria, in some ways is much more complete and perhaps deliberate in gaza, so some of the same _ deliberate in gaza, so some of the same people are saying we are going — the same people are saying we are going to be tapped to be involved _ are going to be tapped to be involved in reconstruction in gaza — involved in reconstruction in gaza do _ involved in reconstruction in gaza. do we want to commit too much — gaza. do we want to commit too much right— gaza. do we want to commit too much right now? and then of course — much right now? and then of course there is ukraine, and i'm course there is ukraine, and i'm not— course there is ukraine, and i'm not ignoring the rest of the — i'm not ignoring the rest of the world, but these are three countries _ the world, but these are three countries that are very much in

similar— countries that are very much in similar areas countries that are very much in similarareas and countries that are very much in similar areas and the same countries _ similar areas and the same countries are going to be asked to commit— countries are going to be asked to commit to reconstruction. 0k, — to commit to reconstruction. 0k. what— to commit to reconstruction. 0k, what about the united states in particular because we�*ve got the secretary of state antony blinken heading out to the middle east regarding what the us or might be for syria plus package but also donald trump to me back into the white house saying syria is amassed, to quote him, and the us should have nothing to do with it?— to do with it? yes, it is difficult _ to do with it? yes, it is difficult for _ to do with it? yes, it is difficult for syria - to do with it? yes, it is difficult for syria to - to do with it? yes, it is difficult for syria to be | difficult for syria to be having _ difficult for syria to be having a transitionjust difficult for syria to be having a transition just when the us— having a transition just when the us is— having a transition just when the us is going to be having one — the us is going to be having one i— the us is going to be having one. i think that some of the problems— one. i think that some of the problems that we have in syria have _ problems that we have in syria have spanned multiple, wheat being — have spanned multiple, wheat being the us, have spanned multiple administrations. so as of the — multiple administrations. so as of the fall of only one person. there — of the fall of only one person. there are _ of the fall of only one person. there are also various issues that— there are also various issues that the _ there are also various issues that the united states has felt differently about, for instance

fighting — differently about, for instance fighting isis in the northeast, working — fighting isis in the northeast, working with the stf, which has its own — working with the stf, which has its own set _ working with the stf, which has its own set of democratic and political — its own set of democratic and political challenges, and then having — political challenges, and then having a _ political challenges, and then having a long, long, long time of hostility toward assad while at the — of hostility toward assad while at the same time hoping to be able _ at the same time hoping to be able to— at the same time hoping to be able to bring him to a peace table — able to bring him to a peace table so— able to bring him to a peace table. so there is that history. _ table. so there is that history, but looking at a donald _ history, but looking at a donald trump administration, i was working on syrian issues in northeast— was working on syrian issues in northeast syria in the coalition against isis when president trump was in his first— president trump was in his first administration. and his demand _ first administration. and his demand that we draw down the troops — demand that we draw down the troops that we had in northeast svria _ troops that we had in northeast svria to — troops that we had in northeast syria to support the stf resulted in bases being handed over to — resulted in bases being handed over to the russians, which was a huge — over to the russians, which was a huge pr— over to the russians, which was a huge pr coup for russia. so, you know. _ a huge pr coup for russia. so, you know, will to think about that's— you know, will to think about that's going to play in at the

same — that's going to play in at the same time of course in the same truth _ same time of course in the same truth tweet, he also said president obama should have taken — president obama should have taken a — president obama should have taken a stand on his redline, but is — taken a stand on his redline, but is the _ taken a stand on his redline, but is the united states supposed to intervene or is it not supposed to intervene? president trump does not seem to really— president trump does not seem to really know where he stands. and just — to really know where he stands. and just briefly, where the use of the future of syria? my last gas was saying she was kind of