DAMASCUS: Two weeks after seizing power in a sweeping offensive, Syria's new leader Ahmed al Sharaa has stepped up regional contacts, vowing in a meeting on Sunday not to "negatively" interfere in neighbouring Lebanon. Sharaa also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, video released by the Anadolu state news agency showed, after Türkiye played a key role in supporting his group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS).
During his meeting with visiting Lebanese chiefs Walid and Taymur Jumblatt, Sharaa said Syria will no longer exert "negative interference in Lebanon at all". He added that Damascus "respects Lebanon's sovereignty, the unity of its territories, the independence of its decisions and its security stability". Syria "will stay at equal distance from all" in Lebanon, Sharaa added, acknowledging that Syria has been a "source of fear and anxiety" for the country. Global powers including the United States and the European Union have stepped up contacts with the war-ravaged country's new leaders, urging them to guarantee protections for women and minorities. — AFP
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