The European Union has started this week diplomatic contacts with the new interim government in Syria under the control of the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al Sham, after the fall of the regime Bashar al-Assadas announced this Monday by the new head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, who warned that the extremism It cannot have a place in the new Government.
The EU, Kallas said, has to learn the lesson of what happened before in Libya and then in Afghanistanand cannot afford not to be present or not having a voice in the transition in Syria. That is why the new High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy sent a senior European diplomat to Damascus this week.
He has been the head of the EU delegation in Syria, which since December 2012 has been based in Beirut (Lebanon), who has led this first round of contacts, as announced by Kallas, after the first Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs that he presided over since his confirmation just a few weeks ago. For now, the EU rules out meetings at a higher levelpending the evolution of the situation in the country.
“The important thing now is to establish a contact line to be able to speak with those who will be the leaders or are already leaders in Damascus,” said the Austrian Foreign Minister. Alexander Schallenberg. “We have a chancemaybe small,” he acknowledged, “but let’s try to promote a better future for the Syrian people.”
Spain, bilaterally, also intends to start contacts with the new Syrian administration. Contacts that, according to the Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albaresare “very preliminary” and should serve to mark red lines. “The future of Syria has to be a peaceful future and what is today a military movement has to evolve into a political movement,” said the minister upon his arrival in Brussels.
Albares announced that Spain intends for the charge d’affaires of the embassy returns to Damascus this week. “In addition, we are going to name a special correspondent which will reinforce our embassy in Damascus,” he added.
What the EU is not considering, at the moment, is changing its sanctions policy. However, Kallas did launch the discussion among the ministers because any decision, requiring unanimityit will take time. In any case, the Twenty-Seven will only consider it, “if they see positive stepsnot just words, but actos” by the new Syrian leadership, explained the head of European diplomacy.
The Russian influence
For Europeans, the transition in Syria must be based on the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty y accountability. “This process must be led and owned by the Syrians and reflect the Syrian people in all their diversityKallas said. The EU is concerned in this regard about the potential influence of Iran or Russia and their military presence in the country, even after the fall of Assad.
The Estonian assured that this will be one of the issues that European diplomats put on the table in their contacts with the country’s new leadership. “Russia and Iran must have no place in the future of Syria,” said Kallas, who insisted that this is a security issue for Europe.
The head of European diplomacy traveled to Jordan last Saturday where she met with her counterparts from arab countries, Türkiye y USA to address the issue. According to Kallas, Russia’s presence in Syria is also of concern in the region. “I think it’s something we can cooperate”he explained.
The uncertainty
After the fall of Assad, the EU finds itself in a crossroads. On the one hand, it celebrates the collapse of a dictatorship that has subjugated the Syrian people for decades, leading to a civil war which ended in the greatest exile to Europe in decades. On the other hand, it encounters the uncertainty generated by a transition led by a group, Hayat Tahrir al-Shamwhose roots are in Al Qaeda.
“What is going to happen tomorrow in Syria?” asked a senior European diplomat“no one knows and we have to deal with it.” That same source compared the situation in Syria with Afghanistan. The withdrawal of the United States from the country in the face of the advance of the Taliban left a scenario in which access to the population required accepting the terrorist group’s takeover. The EU does not recognize the Government as legitimatebut maintains diplomatic contacts with him.
Kallas highlighted the importance of partners in the region seeing the situation of the same wayadvocating for a Syria “in pazstable”. The head of European diplomacy defends the need to establish contacts, draw red lines and wait to see what happens. The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, highlighted the EU’s capacity to influence any political process such as main donor of humanitarian aid and reconstruction.
“We need to see a process that takes into account minoritieswhere they are not persecuted, nor are there revengeno retaliation, no civil wars between different groups,” said the Estonian. According to Kallas, the actors in the region advocate for a inclusive government. According to a senior diplomat, the EU is committed to a political transition process led by the UN, but ultimately, “it is the decision of the Syrians.” The question now is whether someone is going to ask them.
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