Syria’s new rulers step up engagement with the world

Syria’s new rulers stepped up engagement on Tuesday (December 17, 2024) with nations that deemed ousted President Bashar al-Assad a pariah, with the French flag raised on the embassy for the primary time in over a decade.

Mr. Assad fled Syria simply over every week in the past, as his forces deserted tanks and different gear within the face of a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The collapse of Mr. Assad’s rule on December 8 shocked the world. It sparked celebrations round Syria and past after his crackdown on democracy protests in 2011 led to one of many deadliest wars of the century.

Rooted in Syria’s department of al-Qaeda, HTS is proscribed by a number of Western governments as a terrorist organisation, although it has sought to reasonable its rhetoric and pledged to guard the nation’s spiritual minorities.

The EU will reopen its mission in Syria following “constructive” talks with its new management, the bloc’s international coverage chief Kaja Kallas mentioned, describing it as a “crucial step”.

Turkiye and Qatar, which backed the anti-Assad opposition, have reopened embassies in Damascus, whereas U.S. and British officers have launched communications with Syria’s new leaders.

France, an early backer of the rebellion, despatched a delegation to Damascus on Tuesday, with particular envoy Jean-Francois Guillaume saying his nation was getting ready to face with Syrians throughout the transitional interval.

An AFP journalist noticed the French flag raised within the embassy’s entrance corridor for the primary time for the reason that mission was shuttered in 2012.

After assembly Syria’s new leaders, the United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher mentioned on Tuesday he was “inspired”, and that there was a “foundation for formidable scaling-up of significant humanitarian assist”.

German diplomats had been additionally in Damascus on Tuesday, whereas Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni mentioned her nation was prepared to interact with the brand new management.

Syria got here below worldwide sanctions over Mr. Assad’s crackdown on protests, which sparked a conflict that killed greater than 5,00,000 individuals and compelled half of the inhabitants to flee their properties.

Mr. Assad left behind a rustic scarred by a long time of torture, disappearances and abstract executions, in addition to financial mismanagement that has left 70 % of the inhabitants in want of support.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who heads HTS, burdened the necessity in a gathering with a delegation of British diplomats to finish “all sanctions imposed on Syria in order that Syrian refugees can return to their nation”.

He additionally mentioned Syria’s insurgent factions shall be “disbanded and the fighters skilled to hitch the ranks of the defence ministry”.

“Syria should stay united,” he mentioned, based on posts on the group’s Telegram channel. “There have to be a social contract between the state and all religions to ensure social justice”.

The EU’s Kallas mentioned the lifting of sanctions and eradicating HTS from its blacklist would rely on “once we see constructive steps, not the phrases, however precise steps and deeds from the brand new management”.

The United Nations expects a million individuals to return to Syria within the first half of 2025, after the conflict pushed six million individuals to hunt refuge overseas.

‘Color of peace’

In Damascus’s previous souk, many outlets had reopened greater than every week since Assad’s ouster.

Some shopkeepers had been portray their retailer facades white, erasing the colors of the previous Syrian flag that below Assad’s rule had turn out to be ubiquitous.

“Now we have been working continuous for every week to color the whole lot white,” Omar Bashur, a 61-year-old artisan mentioned.

“White is the color of peace,” he added.

Abu Imad, one other vendor, was promoting greens from his automobile at a sq. in central Damascus.

“All the pieces occurred directly: the regime fell, costs dropped, life bought higher. We hope it is not short-term,” he mentioned.

With Assad gone, the Syrian pound began to get well in opposition to the greenback, moneychangers and merchants mentioned, as foreign exchange once more grew to become accessible on the native market.

Iran, which backed Assad all through the civil conflict, mentioned its embassy in Syria — deserted and vandalised within the wake of Assad’s fall — would reopen as soon as the “crucial circumstances” are met.

Russia was the opposite foremost backer of Assad’s rule.

On Monday, the ousted president broke his silence with a press release on Telegram saying that he solely left to Russia as soon as Damascus had fallen, and denounced the nation’s new leaders as “terrorists”.

“My departure from Syria was neither deliberate nor did it happen throughout the remaining hours of the battles,” mentioned the assertion.

A number of former officers had advised AFP that Mr. Assad was already in another country hours earlier than the rebels seized Damascus.

‘My tears had been dry’

Across the nation, Syrians disadvantaged for years of reports of lacking family members searched desperately for clues which may assist them discover closure.

In a war-ravaged Palestinian refugee camp close to Damascus, Radwan Adwan was stacking stones to rebuild his father’s grave, lastly in a position to return to the cemetery.

“With out the autumn of the regime, it will have been unattainable to see my father’s grave once more,” mentioned 45-year-old Adwan.

Yarmuk camp was bombed and besieged by Assad’s forces, emptied of most of its residents and lowered to ruins earlier than its recapture in 2018, when entry to the cemetery was formally banned.

“After we arrived, there was no hint of the grave,” mentioned Adwan.

His mom Zeina sat on a small steel chair in entrance of her husband’s gravesite.

She was “lastly” in a position to weep for him, she mentioned. “Earlier than, my tears had been dry.”