Western Foreign Affairs Ministers to Discuss Syrian Transition in Rome
U.S. forces in Syria, Jan. 2025. X/ @haricinews
January 7, 2025 Hour: 10:06 am
Their meeting coincides with the one-month anniversary of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
On Thursday, the foreign affairs ministers of Italy, the U.S., France, the United Kingdom, and Germany will meet in Rome to discuss the transition in Syria.
RELATED:
Israel’s Water Resource Control in Syria: A Growing Concern
At this meeting, which coincides with the one-month anniversary of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, participants will include Italian FM Antonio Tajani, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French FM Jean-Noël Barrot, and the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the foreign ministers of Germany and the United Kingdom will attend or if their deputy ministers will represent them at the meeting, which is scheduled to take place at Villa Madama, one of the Italian government’s official venues.
This meeting will address “the work of the Transitional Government and the challenges ahead of the National Dialogue Conference announced by the de facto authorities,” led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, according to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Western representatives will also discuss other critical issues for Syria’s transition, such as drafting a new constitution, initiatives for the country’s economic recovery, and the challenge of integrating the diverse sectors of Syrian society into the new state structures.
This meeting is expected to coincide with the arrival in Rome of U.S. President Joe Biden, who will meet with Pope Francis, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and President Sergio Mattarella.
In recent weeks, the role that major Western powers should play in the Syrian transition has gained increasing attention, as all eyes remain on the actions of the new authorities, led by the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
On Monday, the administration of President Biden announced a relaxation of U.S. restrictions on delivering humanitarian aid to Syria, a gesture of support for the new government, though sanctions on the country remain in place.
Last week, the foreign ministers of France and Germany visited Syria to support the interim government. It was the first visit to Syria by European foreign ministers since the fall of President al-Assad on December 8, 2024.
The context of the visit comes as the new de facto leader, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, calls for lifting sanctions to enable the country’s reconstruction. Also also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, al-Sharaa is military commander and politician who has served as the HTS emir since 2017.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
