HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa this week called on Western nations to ease the sanctions regime and remove the Sunni Islamist group from their terror lists [Getty]
Western governments are beginning to gradually re-establish diplomatic relationships with Syria more than a week after the dramatic collapse of the Assad regime – though there remain few signs that the international sanctions regime will be relaxed as the Islamist-run transitional government embarks on its state-building project.
Several European countries followed the UK’s footsteps in dispatching delegations to Damascus on Tuesday to hold talks with representatives of the new governing authorities, which are led by the Sunni rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The French flag was raised at its embassy for the first time in 12 years as diplomats met with a Syrian government official.
The EU announced that it would send its ambassador back to its delegation in Damascus. The German foreign ministry said it was exploring possibilities of reopening its Syrian embassy ahead of talks scheduled for later in the day.
Both the head of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of the need for “engagement” with the new government.
Early signs of rapprochement are evident as are the strings attached. Western countries were unified on the conditions the new government will have to meet before being allowed in from the cold: it will need to show concrete signs that it is committed to secular governance, protecting minorities and fighting terrorism before Western nations agree to normalise ties.
HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had on Monday urged Western nations to ease the sanctions regime and remove the Sunni Islamist group from their terror lists. In talks with British officials, he said that lifting the economic restrictions is vital if the country is to repatriate the millions of refugees displaced across the Middle East and Europe.
But without meeting the West’s set of demands, the prospect of sanctions relief appears slim.
In a speech before the Italian parliament, Meloni urged the West to exercise “maximum caution” in its dealings with HTS. Italy, one of the few Western countries to have already reopened its Syrian embassy, will “judge the new Syrian authorities on their actions”, she said.
“The decisive element will be the attitude towards ethnic and religious minorities.”
France’s foreign ministry called on the transitional authorities to support a representative government, protect women and minorities, and combat Islamic State and other terror groups.
The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas made similar statements. “I think the coming weeks and months will show whether it goes in the right direction,” she told reporters on Monday.
The US and the UK have also outlined similar conditions before agreeing to normalise relations with the HTS-led administration.
The early signs of a thawing of ties follow similar moves made by Turkey and Qatar, which quickly re-opened their missions in the Syrian capital after HTS’ seizure of power. Ankara and Doha were two of Assad’s most vociferous critics and had armed opposition groups against the government from the early days of the conflict.
Turkey is also calling on HTS to establish an inclusive administration, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said following talks with EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen on Monday.
Iran waiting to reopen embassy
Iran will reopen its embassy in Damascus only when the “necessary conditions” are met, the country’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The embassy was vandalized after the fall of the Assad regime earlier this month.
“The reopening of the embassy in Damascus requires preparations, the most important of which is ensuring the security and safety of the embassy and its staff,” a ministry spokesperson said.
