Paris meeting: leaders discuss Syria’s future

Talks in Paris have marked the beginning of a potential shift in the new Syrian regime’s international standing, as leaders discussed the country’s future. 

French president Macron, and Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed ending violence and the lifting of sanctions, as they met in the interim leader’s first European visit, reports The New Arab plus agencies on May 7th.  

Macron used the opportunity to call on his Syrian counterpart to “do everything to assure the protection of all Syrians without exception” after recent waves of “unacceptable” killings of members of the Alawite and Druze minorities. 

The recent sectarian violence which has killed nearly 1,700 people, has been a setback for the credibility of the new Syrian regime and its ability to tackle extremists. 

The French President said that the violence had “profoundly shocked the friends of Syria”.

He also emphasised the need for the perpetrators to be “prosecuted and tried”. 

Amidst the clashes, Syria has also faced pressure from Israel who have launched repeated airstrikes against the new regime. 

Macron condemned the strikes, while al-Sharaa confirmed that talks were taking place with Israel via mediators in an effort to calm tensions. 

The two leaders also discussed the future of sanctions. 

Macron expressed support for the “the gradual lifting of European economic sanctions,” so long as progress is made in regards to Syria’s stability and the protection of minorities. 

He called for the US to do the same, and also to hold off on withdrawing American troops from the country for “as long as possible.”

Al-Sharaa meanwhile said there was no reason for sanctions to remain in force, having been “placed on the former regime because of the crimes it committed”. 

The decision to invite al-Sharaa for these talks was a controversial one among France’s far-right, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen labelling the decision to host a ‘jihadist’, as a discredit to France’s efforts in tackling islamic terrorism. 

Laurent Wauquiez, head of the right-wing Republicans in parliament made similar comments, saying: “We don’t welcome leaders who are former terrorists and members of organisations that want to attack France.”

These accusations have been fuelled by the interim president’s former position as leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group with previous ties to Al-Qaeda. 

Al-Sharaa still holds a UN travel ban, and therefore France would have had to request an exemption for this visit, marking a step towards legitimising the new Syrian government. 

Macron defended the visit, saying “He has put an end to a regime that we condemned and fought against and he is ready to make commitments. The first actions have led to results.”

New Arab/agencies/Maghrebi