The new authorities in Syria said today that they will "freeze the Constitution and Parliament" during a three-month transition period, after the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad.

The spokesman for political affairs of the new Syrian government, Obaida Arnaut, told AFP that a justice and human rights committee would be established to study the constitution and make changes, Beta reported.

Syria's current constitution dates from 2012 and does not explicitly state that Islam is the state religion.

Rebels led by radical Islamists, who seized power in Syria on Sunday, appointed Mohamed al-Bashir as head of a transitional government that will run until March 1, 2025. Until now, Bashir led the "salvation government" in the rebel stronghold of Idlib, in northwestern Syria.

Spokesman Arnaut said that a meeting was held on Tuesday between members of the "salvation government" and former ministers of the Assad government, regarding the transfer of power.

- Our priority is to save the institutions and protect them, Arnaut said.

After an 11-day offensive, a coalition of rebel groups, led by the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, ousted Assad on Sunday, who fled to Russia with his family.

Arnaut said the new authorities want to establish a "state of law" after more than half a century of rule by the Assad family, marked by repression.

He added that "all those who have committed crimes against the Syrian people will be tried in accordance with the law."

Asked about religious and personal freedoms, he said the new authorities "respect the religious and cultural diversity in Syria, which will remain as it is."

In the country, where the majority are Sunni Muslims, Assad, a member of the Alawite minority, presented himself as a protector of minorities who feared they would be targeted by the new authorities.