The new head of Syrian diplomacy, Assaad el-Chibani, pleaded in Doha on Saturday for a lifting of international sanctions against his country, during his first official visit to Qatar.
Mr. Chibani, accompanied by the Syrian Defense Minister, Mourhaf Abou Qasra, and the head of the intelligence services, Anas Khattab, met with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane Al-Thani.
The latter “reiterated Qatar’s position in favor of the unity, sovereignty and independence of Syria”, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Unlike other Arab countries, Qatar, which supported the opposition during the war in Syria, has never reestablished its diplomatic relations with the power of Bashar al-Assad, overthrown on December 8 by a coalition of rebel factions led by the radical Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
But it was the second country, after Turkey, to reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital after the fall of Assad.
After a meeting with Qatari Minister of State Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, the Syrian minister told journalists that he had presented to Qatari officials the “road map” of the new Syrian administration.
He said he had also raised the question of the sanctions imposed on his country and which, according to him, constitute an “obstacle to a rapid recovery” of the Syrian economy.
The West imposed sanctions on the power of Bashar al-Assad after the repression of a popular uprising in 2011, which triggered a war that left more than half a million dead and led to the exile of millions of inhabitants. and devastated the country.
“We also renew our call on the United States to lift sanctions,” he said.
At the end of December, Doha also pleaded in favor of a rapid lifting of sanctions.
Mr Chibani said his government sought to maintain “very good relations with the region”.
The minister indicated on Saturday that he would go in addition to Qatar, to the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, after his first official trip to Saudi Arabia.
With AFP
