Damascus — The European Union supports a peaceful and inclusive transition in Syria, top French and German diplomats said Friday as they visited Damascus to meet with new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock were in the Syrian capital for talks on behalf of the European Union, in the highest-level visit by major Western powers since of forces led by Islamists. overthrew the ruler Bashar al-Assad last month
One of his first stops was the well-known Sednaya prison, not far from the capital.
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Accompanied by White Helmet rescuers, Barrot and Baerbock toured Sednaya’s underground cells and dungeons, which for decades remained a fearsome symbol of the atrocities committed against Assad’s opponents.
The prison was the site of extrajudicial executions, torture and forced disappearances. A defense group said more than 4,000 people were released from the detention center when rebel forces took Damascus on December 8. Countless other inmates, both criminals and opponents of Assad, simply disappeared after being imprisoned there.
In 2017, the US State Department said the Assad regime was using a crematorium in Sednaya to dispose of corpses in a effort to “cover up” the mass murders was carried out.
“Fragile hope” for a “stable and peaceful” Syria.
Sharaa, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the offensive that toppled Assad. The HTS-dominated interim authorities now face the daunting task of rebuilding state institutions, with growing calls to ensure an inclusive transition and guarantee minority rights.
Barrot, in Damascus, expressed hope for a “sovereign, stable and peaceful” Syria.
It was also a “hope that the aspirations of all Syrians can come true”, he added, “but it is a fragile hope”.
In a statement, Baerbock said Germany wanted to help Syria become a “safe home” for all its people and a “functioning state with full control over its territory.”
He said the visit was a “clear signal” to Damascus of the possibility of a new relationship between Syria and Germany, and Europe in general.
Earlier, in a post on X, Barrot said: “Together, France and Germany stand by the Syrian people, in all their diversity.”
He added that the two European powers wanted to promote a “peaceful transition” to a new government in the country.
Despite “skepticism” about HTS, which was formerly the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda and remains designated a terrorist organization by the US and many other governments, Baerbock said “we must not miss the opportunity to support to the Syrian people at this important crossroads.” .”
Sharaa and HTS have distanced themselves from al-Qaeda in recent years, and the group’s public statements have suggested plans to respect Syria’s myriad religious groups.
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The Biden administration said after Assad fled to Russia that the US could recognize a new Syrian government under certain conditions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the new leadership and transition process must ensure the protection of Syria’s minority groups, a flow of humanitarian aid into the country, prevent Syria from being used as a base for organizations terrorists and help ensure that any chemical and biological weapons are secured and destroyed.
Baerbock said on Friday that Berlin was ready to support “an inclusive and peaceful transfer of power” as well as social “reconciliation” in Syria.
He also asked the new regime to avoid “acts of revenge against groups of the population”, to avoid a long delay before the elections and to avoid any attempt to “Islamize” the judicial and educational systems.
Since Assad’s ouster, a group of foreign envoys has traveled to Damascus to meet with the country’s new leaders. France and Germany had already sent lower-level delegations last month.
At the beginning of his visit, Barrot met with representatives of the Christian communities of Syria. Diplomatic sources said Barrot told Christian leaders that France was committed to a pluralistic Syria with equal rights for all, including minority groups.
Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011 with the Assad government’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, saw Germany, France and a number of other countries close their diplomatic missions in Damascus .
The conflict killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and left Syria fragmented and devastated.
The new authorities have called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad to allow reconstruction.
Paris will host an international summit on Syria later this month, following a similar meeting in December in Jordan.