France plans to send diplomatic mission to Syria
France is set to dispatch diplomats to Damascus to establish communication with the new government. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Officials are set to arrive in Damascus a week following the fall of the Assad government.
Paris will dispatch a team of diplomats to Syria on Tuesday to assess the political and security landscape after the collapse of President Bashar Assad's administration, according to acting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
“The goal of the four diplomats who will be sent to Syria is to recover our assets there,” Barrot stated, emphasizing the importance of establishing connections with the new authorities and “assessing the humanitarian needs of the population,” as reported by Le Figaro.
Barrot noted that this marks the first trip by a French delegation to Syria in 12 years. The diplomats are set to “verify whether the somewhat encouraging statements made by these new authorities, which called for calm and seem not to have been involved in violations, are actually being implemented on the ground,” he added.
Earlier this month, the situation in war-torn Syria dramatically shifted when a coalition of armed opposition forces, spearheaded by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), forced Assad into exile in Russia. Mohammad al-Bashir, who led the HTS-controlled government in Idlib province, has been named caretaker prime minister.
While the fall of Assad has been welcomed by many Western nations, concerns remain regarding HTS due to the group's historical connections to al-Qaeda.
“We are not naive about the new authorities in Damascus. We are aware of the past of some Islamist groups,” Barrot remarked, noting that France will be vigilant in monitoring developments in Syria.
“On the political level, the de facto authorities must give way to a transitional authority that is representative of all faiths and communities in Syria and that can gradually move Syria towards a new constitution and ultimately towards elections,” he continued.
France severed ties with the Assad government at the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2012. Like the US and other European allies, Paris supported "moderate" opposition factions and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. In April 2018, together with the US and the UK, France carried out airstrikes on territories under Assad's control.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
Paris will dispatch a team of diplomats to Syria on Tuesday to assess the political and security landscape after the collapse of President Bashar Assad's administration, according to acting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
“The goal of the four diplomats who will be sent to Syria is to recover our assets there,” Barrot stated, emphasizing the importance of establishing connections with the new authorities and “assessing the humanitarian needs of the population,” as reported by Le Figaro.
Barrot noted that this marks the first trip by a French delegation to Syria in 12 years. The diplomats are set to “verify whether the somewhat encouraging statements made by these new authorities, which called for calm and seem not to have been involved in violations, are actually being implemented on the ground,” he added.
Earlier this month, the situation in war-torn Syria dramatically shifted when a coalition of armed opposition forces, spearheaded by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), forced Assad into exile in Russia. Mohammad al-Bashir, who led the HTS-controlled government in Idlib province, has been named caretaker prime minister.
While the fall of Assad has been welcomed by many Western nations, concerns remain regarding HTS due to the group's historical connections to al-Qaeda.
“We are not naive about the new authorities in Damascus. We are aware of the past of some Islamist groups,” Barrot remarked, noting that France will be vigilant in monitoring developments in Syria.
“On the political level, the de facto authorities must give way to a transitional authority that is representative of all faiths and communities in Syria and that can gradually move Syria towards a new constitution and ultimately towards elections,” he continued.
France severed ties with the Assad government at the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2012. Like the US and other European allies, Paris supported "moderate" opposition factions and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. In April 2018, together with the US and the UK, France carried out airstrikes on territories under Assad's control.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
