Saudi Arabia hosts European and Middle Eastern diplomats on Sunday to discuss Syria.
“There will be two meetings. The first between Arab States. The second between Arab States and other countries »including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Spain, as well as the United Nations, a Saudi official who requested anonymity told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.
The discussions will focus in particular on the level of support to be given to the new Syrian administration, after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad, and on a possible lifting of sanctions affecting the country, confirmed the Saudi official.
The transitional authorities led by the country’s new leader, Ahmed Al-Charaa, are calling for a lifting of international sanctions against the country. Western powers, notably the United States and the European Union, had imposed sanctions on the government of Bashar Al-Assad due to the repression of popular demonstrations in 2011, which sparked the civil war.
Many capitals, including Washington, have said they are waiting to see how the new authorities exercise their power before deciding. The head of European Union diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said on Friday that the 27 could ” gradually “ relax their sanctions “provided that tangible progress is made”particularly on the protection of minorities.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, confirmed their participation in the Riyadh meeting, which follows on from previous discussions held in December in Jordan, according to the Saudi official. The outgoing US Deputy Secretary of State, John Bass, will also participate.
Mr. Bass will arrive from Türkiye, where he stressed “the importance of regional stability, preventing Syria from being used as a base for terrorism and ensuring lasting defeat” of the jihadist organization Islamic State, according to the State Department.
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