the tricolor flag hoisted over the French embassy in Damascus

Iran will not immediately reopen its embassy in Syria, while Western chancelleries are stepping up efforts to establish contact with the new Islamist power. Le Figaro takes stock of the situation this Tuesday, December 17.

The tricolor flag hoisted over the French embassy in Damascus

A French delegation led by the special envoy for Syria Jean-François Guillaume arrived on Tuesday, December 17 in Damascus and visited the premises of the embassy, ​​noted AFP journalists.

“France is preparing to stand alongside the Syrians” during the transition period, Jean-François Guillaume told journalists on Tuesday, shortly after his arrival in Damascus. The tricolor flag was raised Tuesday morning over the embassy, ​​closed since 2012, according to an AFP journalist. The French delegation indicated that it had come for a “contacting the de facto authorities” in Damascus.

Initially cautious, Western chancelleries have taken steps to establish contact with the new Islamist power in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The European Union announced the sending of a representative to Damascus and London also sent an official delegation there.

Iran will not immediately reopen its embassy in Syria

Iran will not immediately reopen its embassy in Syria, Iranian diplomacy said on Tuesday, after the ransacking of its representation in Damascus during the fall of Bashar el-Assad. “The reopening of the embassy in Damascus requires preparations (…) We will continue this work as soon as the necessary conditions are met in terms of security”indicated Esmaïl Baghaï, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Syria and Iran have long maintained friendly ties, thanks to a rapprochement made in the 1970s by Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, well before the advent of the Islamic Republic of Iran. . But the seizure of power in Damascus by the rebels threatens to change the situation. At the beginning of December, the Iranian embassy in Syria was ransacked, an act previously unimaginable in an allied country.

Iran has invested more politically, financially but also militarily in Syria under Bashar al-Assad, with the sending of what Tehran presented as “military advisors” to support his army during the civil war. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Iran, unwavering support of the deposed Syrian president, has repatriated around 4,000 nationals.

A German delegation on a diplomatic mission to Syria

German diplomats will hold first talks in Damascus on Tuesday with representatives of the transitional government set up by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC).

“It will be about an inclusive transition process in Syria and the protection of minorities. The possibilities of a diplomatic presence in Damascus will also be explored.a ministry spokesperson told AFP.

The UN thinks it can provide “ambitious” aid

The UN thinks it can provide help “ambitious” in Syria, the United Nations humanitarian chief said after a meeting with the leader of the Islamist-dominated coalition that took power.

“Moment of cautious hope in Syria. My meetings in Damascus, including constructive discussions with the commander of the new administration, Mr. Ahmad al-Shareh, are encouraging. We have a basis for an ambitious scale-up of lifesaving humanitarian aid.”said Tom Fletcher, on the social network