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France and Germany’s foreign ministers used a high-profile diplomatic visit to Damascus Friday to set out the European Union’s demands for Syria’s new Islamist leaders, as they seek to reestablish relations with the war-shattered country.
Europe “will not fund new Islamist structures,” AFP reported the German foreign minister as warning after the meeting with Syria’s de factor leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, while French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said chemical weapons belonging to the Assad regime must be destroyed.
Barrot also called for a settlement to be reached with Syria’s semi-autonomous Kurdish administration — which is allied with France — that controls parts of the country’s northeast.
The ministers said prior to their visit that they wanted to forge a new diplomatic relationship with Syria after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad in early December, urging a peaceful transition of power, Reuters reported.
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Diplomatic channels between Syria and other nations have gradually begun to open in recent weeks: The country’s new foreign minister visited Riyadh on Thursday to discuss humanitarian aid and investment.
Western nations have been slower in their response to the country’s new leaders, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is still designated as a terrorist organization by the UN and the US over its past links to al-Qaida.
HTS has appeared keen to demonstrate flexibility and openness in its approach to leadership, vowing to protect the many minorities that make up Syria’s population.
Western leaders are discussing removing the group’s terrorist designation and lifting sanctions that were set in place during Assad’s rule, Reuters reported.