French, German foreign ministers visit Damascus to meet Syria’s new rulers

Germany’s Annalena Baerbock offers ‘outstretched hand’, but underlines EU ‘expectations’ connected diverseness and tolerance.

The French and German overseas ministers person arrived successful Damascus to conscionable Syria’s caller rulers, marking the archetypal travel by apical European Union officials to the state since the autumn of erstwhile president Bashar al-Assad past month.

Germany’s Annalena Baerbock and France’s Jean-Noel Barrot volition clasp talks with Syria’s de-facto person Ahmed al-Sharaa, besides referred to arsenic Abu Mohammed al-Julani, successful the Syrian superior connected Friday.

Their sojourn comes arsenic Western governments unfastened channels with al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a radical with past links to al-Qaeda that led the rebellion against al-Assad, debating whether to region its violent designation.

Barrot landed archetypal successful the Syrian superior connected Friday morning, having posted connected societal media level X that France and Germany stood with the Syrian radical “in each their diversity”, voicing enactment for a “peaceful and demanding modulation successful the work of the Syrians and for determination stability”.

Ahead of the one-day trip, Baerbock spoke of a “new governmental beginning” betwixt the EU and Syria, signalling she would get with an “outstretched hand” arsenic good arsenic “clear expectations” of the caller rulers, who she said would beryllium judged by their actions.

“We cognize wherever the HTS comes from ideologically, what it has done successful the past,” said the overseas curate successful a statement. “But we besides perceive and spot the tendency for moderation and for knowing with different important actors.”

“A caller opening tin lone hap if the caller Syrian nine grants a spot successful the governmental process to each Syrians, women and men, of each taste oregon spiritual group, and provides rights and protection,” she said.

Baerbock specifically asked the caller authorities to debar “acts of vengeance against groups wrong the population”, to debar a agelong hold earlier elections, and to avert attempts to present spiritual contented into the judicial and acquisition systems.

The caller authorities person already announced program changes, including scrapping poesy relating to women and emotion and references to “Gods” successful past past courses.

On governance, al-Sharaa precocious stated that it could instrumentality astir 3 years to contiguous a caller draught constitution, and different twelvemonth until elections.

Baerbock said Germany wanted to flooded “scepticism” astir HTS and assistance Syria instrumentality to being “a functioning authorities with afloat power implicit its territory”.

The 2 ministers volition besides sojourn Sednaya prison, the tract of extrajudicial executions, torture and forced disappearances, which epitomised the brutality of the al-Assad family’s decades-long rule.

France and Germany had some already sent lower-level delegations past month.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes deed areas southbound of Aleppo connected Thursday, successful the latest attacks connected Syria since the autumn of al-Assad.

Syrian authorities tv said the attacks deed struck defence and probe facilities successful the municipality of Safira.

There were nary contiguous reports of casualties.

Israel has been carrying retired attacks connected Syria since al-Assad fled the state connected December 8, saying the purpose is to forestall weapons from falling into hostile hands.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies