EU to reopen embassy in Damascus after Assad ouster

STRASBOURG: The EU is to reopen its mission in Damascus following “constructive” talks with Syria’s new leadership after the toppling of ruler Bashar al-Assad, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said Tuesday.

“This is a very important step, that we will reopen the delegation in Syria,” the EU’s Kaja Kallas told the European Parliament.

The EU’s top diplomat for Syria visited Damascus on Monday for what Kallas called “constructive first contacts with the new leadership and various other groups, also the civil society”.

European nations – along with other international players – are jostling for influence in Syria after the end of the Assad family’s five-decade domination.

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But they are wary of the new authorities spearheaded by group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was rooted in Al-Qaeda and is listed as a “terrorist” organisation by some Western governments.

“We can’t leave a vacuum in Syria. The EU must be present,” Kallas said.

The EU has said it stands ready to ramp up support for Syria – but has laid out a raft of conditions that new leaders must respect.

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Those include protecting minorities, overseeing an inclusive transition and shunning extremism.

Kallas on Monday said the EU would also push those in charge over the presence of Russian military bases in the country, saying Moscow had no place in Syria’s future.

Russia propped up Assad with its forces during the civil war and has now provided him with a safe haven after his ouster.