Published on 03/01/2025 23:46
Reading time: 1min – video: 2min
Syria: France makes contact with the new power
4,000 km from France, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot met Syria's new Islamist leader, Ahmad al-Chareh, alongside his German counterpart. The two European ministers insisted on the need for a transition that is both peaceful and inclusive.
(Franceinfo)
4,000 km from France, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot met Syria's new Islamist leader, Ahmad al-Chareh, alongside his German counterpart. The two European ministers insisted on the need for a transition that is both peaceful and inclusive.
A handshake scrutinized with attention as it is heavy with symbols. Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, meets the new Syrian leader in the presence of his German counterpart. For the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, two Western powers are traveling to speak with Ahmad al-Chareh, Syria's new strongman, leader of the radical Islamist group HTS.
France is therefore back in Damascus, after thirteen years of absence. The minister visits the abandoned embassy. But its reopening, like the reestablishment of diplomatic relations, will only take place under certain conditions. The purpose of this trip is to try to assess what the new Islamist leaders will do with Syria.
There is hope, for example, of never seeing again in this country prisons like that of Saidnaya, the symbol of the repressive terror of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Westerners will judge the new strong men of Damascus on their actions, and not just on their intentions. “If you respect freedom, you have to be truly inclusive, integrate all parties and all religious denominations”underlines Michel Fayad, geopolitologist at the French Institute of Petroleum and New Energies.
Watch the full report in the video above.
