Top EU diplomats visit Syria, tour ousted Assad regime’s notorious Sednaya prison, call for inclusive leadership
damascus — The European Union supports a peaceful and inclusive transition in Syria, top French and German diplomats said on Friday as they visited Damascus to meet with new leader Ahmed Salat.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrow and German counterpart Annalena Berbock held talks on behalf of the European Union in the Syrian capital, the highest-level visit by a major Western power since Islamist-led forces Overthrow long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad last month.
Their first stop was the notorious Sednaya Prison, not far from the capital.
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Accompanied by White Helmets rescuers, Barot and Belbok visited Sednaya’s cells and underground dungeons, which have been a horrific symbol of atrocities committed against Assad’s opponents for decades.
The prison was the site of extrajudicial executions, torture and enforced disappearances. An advocacy group said more than 4,000 people were released from detention facilities when rebels seized Damascus on December 8. Countless other prisoners – including criminals and Assad opponents – were held there and then disappeared.
In 2017, the U.S. State Department said the Assad regime was using Sednaya’s crematorium to dispose of bodies. Efforts to ‘cover up’ the massacre It goes on there.
‘Fragile hope’ for ‘stability and peace’ in Syria
Shallah, the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the offensive to overthrow Assad. The interim authorities led by HTS now face the daunting task of rebuilding state institutions, with growing calls to ensure an inclusive transition and guarantee the rights of minority groups.
In Damascus, Barrow expressed hope for “sovereignty, stability and peace” in Syria.
It was also “the hope that the aspirations of all Syrians will come true,” he added, “but it’s a fragile hope.”
Berbock said in a statement that Germany wanted to help Syria become a “safe homeland” for all its people and a “functioning state with full control over its territory.”
She said the visit sent a “clear signal” to Damascus about the potential for new ties between Syria and Germany and wider Europe.
European diplomats’ closed-door meeting with Sala lasted about an hour and a half on Friday, and they did not issue a formal statement to reporters afterwards.
Earlier, Barrot said in an article published in “X”: “France and Germany stand with the different Syrian people.”
He added that the two European powers wanted to facilitate the country’s “peaceful transition” to a new government.
Despite the “suspicion” of HTS – the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda that is still considered a terrorist organization by the United States and many other governments – Belbok said “we must not miss out on supporting Syria at this important crossroads” Opportunities for the people.”
Salad himself and HTS have distanced themselves from al-Qaeda in recent years, and the group’s public statements indicate plans to respect Syria’s many religious groups.
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The Biden administration said after Assad fled to Russia that the United States could recognize the new Syrian government under certain conditions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the new leadership and transition process must ensure the protection of Syria’s minorities, the flow of humanitarian aid into the country, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorist groups, and help ensure that any chemical and biological weapons are protected and destroy.
Berbock said on Friday that Berlin stood ready to support an “inclusive and peaceful transfer of power” and social “reconciliation” in Syria.
She also asked the new regime to avoid “acts of revenge against groups within the population”, avoid long delays before elections and avoid any attempts to “Islamize” the justice and education systems.
Since Assad was overthrown, a group of foreign envoys have traveled to Damascus to meet with the country’s new leader. France and Germany both sent lower-level delegations last month.
At the start of his visit, Barrow met with representatives of Syrian Christian groups. Diplomatic sources said Barrow told Christian leaders that France was committed to a pluralistic Syria that offered equal rights to all, including minorities.
Syria’s civil war began in 2011, with Assad’s government brutally suppressing pro-democracy protests and Germany, France and many other countries closing their diplomatic missions in Damascus.
The conflict has killed more than half a million people, displaced millions and left Syria fragmented and ravaged.
The new authorities have called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad to allow for reconstruction.
Paris will host an international summit on Syria later this month, following a similar meeting in Jordan last December.
