This article was originally published in English
Annalena Baerbock and Jean-Noël Barrot hope to show that a “new beginning” is possible between Europe and Syria.
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The German and French foreign ministers arrived in Damascus on Friday to show that a “a new political start between Europe and Syria is possible”.
It is about the first official visit to the country by senior diplomats from European Union member states since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.
Annalena Baerbock and Jean-Noël Barrot are expected to meet Friday with Ahmed al-Charaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Cham (HTC), the group that toppled Bashar al-Assad, as well as representatives of Syrian civil society.
The German Foreign Minister considers thatthere can be no “new beginning” that if the new Syrian society grants all ethnic and religious groups a place in the political processas well as rights and protection.
She warns against too long a transition to elections and against “measures to Islamize the justice system or the education system”saying that extremism should have no place in Syria.
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, began his visit Friday with a meeting with Christian religious leaders in Damascus. He indicated on X that the two countries “want to promote a peaceful and urgent transition in the service of Syrians and regional stability”.
The minister also visited the French embassy in Damascus, which reopened its doors a few weeks ago after 13 years of closure.
HTC still considered a terrorist organization
Since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad following a lightning offensive by opposition forces, Damascus saw a wave of visits from Arab and Western countries that had severed relations with the government during the country's nearly 14-year civil war.
However, Western countries have yet to lift sanctions imposed on Syria under Bashar al-Assad's regime or revise the designation of HTC as a terrorist group, although the United States recently lifted the bounty of nearly 10 million euros that they had placed on Ahmed al-Charaa.
The United Nations Security Council must also decide this month whether to remove HTC from its list of terrorist organizations.announced Amar Bendjama, president of the Council for the month of January.
“It's up to the Council to decide. We will have a meeting on Syria on January 8”he declared.
