Western governments expand contacts with Syria's new leadership

17/12/2024 19:19

German and French officials are due to meet representatives of Syria's new governing authorities in Damascus on Tuesday, expanding Western contacts with the new administration after British diplomats met its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa late on Monday.



Nine days after Bashar al-Assad was ousted, Western states are gradually opening channels to the new authorities in Damascus led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, though they continue to designate it a terrorist group.



Late on Monday, Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, met a British foreign ministry delegation. He stressed the need for the restoration of ties and lifting sanctions on Syria so that Syrian refugees can return home, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.