EU diplomats push for inclusive transition in Syria

DAMASCUS: The European Union backs a peaceful, inclusive transition in Syria, top French and German diplomats said on Friday on a Damascus visit 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 Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al Assad last month.

AFPTV footage showed the two ministers sitting down with Sharaa for talks at the presidential palace. Earlier, the pair stopped at the notorious Saydnaya prison, not far from the capital, journalists said. Accompanied by White Helmet rescuers, Barrot and Baerbock toured the cells and underground dungeons of Saydnaya, the epitome of atrocities committed during Assad's paranoid rule.

An aerial view shows an anti-aircraft missile at a Syrian army position near the city of Al Safira, south of Aleppo following reported Israeli strikes. — AFP

The prison was the site of extrajudicial executions, torture and forced disappearances. An advocacy group said more than 4,000 people were freed from the facility when rebel forces took Damascus on December 8.

Sharaa, head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the offensive that toppled Assad and sent him fleeing to Moscow. 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 be realised", he added, "but it is a fragile hope".

In a statement, Baerbock said Germany wanted to help Syria become a "functioning state", calling the visit a "clear signal" to Damascus of the possibility for a new relationship between Syria and Germany, and Europe more broadly. — AFP