Top European diplomats in Syria for talks with leader Sharaa

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is due to meet the French and German foreign ministers on Friday, in the highest-level visit by major Western powers under the new authorities in Damascus.

Top French diplomat Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in the Syrian capital on Friday, AFP journalists said. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock joined him later, a ministry source told AFP, for talks on behalf of the European Union.

Sharaa, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the offensive that toppled Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in early December.

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 a post in X, said: "Together, France and Germany stand alongside the Syrian people, in all their diversity."

He added that the two European powers wanted to promote a "peaceful transition."

In Damascus, he expressed hope for a "sovereign, stable and peaceful" Syria.

It was also a "hope that the aspirations of all Syrians can be realized," 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."

She said the visit was a "clear signal" to Damascus of the possibility for a new relationship between Syria and Germany, and Europe more broadly.

Despite "skepticism" about HTS -- which is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda and is designated a terrorist organization by numerous governments -- Baerbock said that "we must not miss the opportunity to support the Syrian people at this important crossroads."

She also asked the new regime to avoid "acts of vengeance against groups within the population," to avoid a long delay before elections, and to avert attempts to Islamise the judicial and education systems.

"This must be our common objective," she added.

AFP