DAMASCUS: The French and German foreign ministers called for a peaceful, inclusive transition in Syria as they visited Damascus on Friday for talks with new leader Ahmed Al Sharaa.

France’s Jean-Noel Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock are the most senior Western diplomats to visit the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar Al Assad last month.

Baerbock told Sharaa that the European Union stood ready to support the transition in Syria, but warned that “Europe will not finance new Islamist structures”.

“This is not only in our own security interests but also what I have heard time and again from very many Syrians in Germany […] and here in the region,” she said.

She called for “an inclusive, peaceful transfer of power, reconciliation and reconstruction”.

“This requires a political dialogue involving all ethnic and religious groups, involving men and equally women.”

The Hayat Tahrir al Sham, which is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, has sought to reassure minorities that they will not be harmed, although a number of incidents have sparked protests.

On Dec 24, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus to protest the burning of a Christmas tree near the central city of Hama.

Earlier, Barrot met Christian leaders. Diplomatic sources said he told them France was committed to a pluralistic Syria with equal rights for all, including minority groups.

Fighting in north

After separate talks with representatives of Syria’s long-repressed civil society, Barrot called for a “political solution” with the Western-backed Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria.

“A political solution must be reached with France’s allies, the Kurds, so that they are fully integrated into this political process that is beginning today,” Barrot said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, a key Western ally against the militant Islamic State group, has been under renewed attack by Turkish-backed factions in northern Syria since late last year.

In the latest clashes around the battleground northern town of Manbij, at least 24 fighters were killed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said on Thursday, despite US-led efforts to establish a truce in the area.

Baerbock urged Syria’s neighbours to “respect its territorial integrity and sovereignty” and said “the security of the Kurds is also essential for a peaceful Syria”.

“This requires an end to the fighting in the north and the integration of the Kurdish forces … in the Syrian security architecture,” she said.

Barrot spoke with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi on Thursday to discuss “the ongoing transition in Syria”, the French foreign ministry said.

Turkiye has mounted multiple operations against the SDF since 2016, and Ankara-backed groups have captured several Kurdish-held towns in northern Syria in recent weeks.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025