France and Qatar both announced steps toward diplomatic rapprochement with Syria on Sunday, representing an opening of dialogue with the new rebel-backed interim government responsible for ousting former President Bashar al-Assad.
France will dispatch a team of diplomats to war-torn Syria on Tuesday to meet with unspecified contacts and report back on the current political and security situation, the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that the visit was intended to “demonstrate a “willingness to support the Syrian people.”
As Brussels is still assessing how to approach Syria’s new leadership, given the leading role of the EU-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Paris will lead off the bloc’s first official efforts with the new government. Given its hardline stance against Assad and cultural ties to Syria from the former French Mandate, many have cited France as a strong point of first contact.
France, which did not back HTS but instead secular and Kurdish groups, has also emphasized the importance of an inclusive political transition under the established United Nations framework.
Meanwhile, Geir Pedersen, the UN’s envoy to Syria, told reporters in Damascus on Sunday that Western nations could support institution-building efforts by lifting sanctions.
Qatar announced it will reopen its embassy in Damascus on Tuesday, more than 13 years after withdrawing its ambassador in response to Assad’s violent crackdowns on protesters in 2011. Similar to Paris, Doha considered mending ties with Assad and instead resisted regional attempts to restore relations with his regime.
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