Syria faces major challenges, from rebuilding an economy and war-wrecked infrastructure to setting up a new constitution and justice mechanisms.

Hundreds of Syrian politicians and activists gathered Tuesday in Damascus to endorse the opening steps of the country’s political transition, a milestone event after decades of ironfisted one-family rule.

Syria’s de facto leader reiterated his pledge to deliver a democratic political transition as talks on the country’s future opened. Ahmed al-Sharaa on Tuesday urged his countrymen to unite and pledged to establish a transitional justice body,