KEY POINTS
- US, UK, France, Germany, and Italy to discuss Syria on Tuesday.
- Israeli military strikes target military sites in the Tartus region of Syria.
- EU, US, and UK initiate contact with HTS-led Syrian leadership.
- Qatar and Turkey resume embassy operations in Damascus.
- Syrian pound stabilizes against the dollar for the first time in years.
ROME: Foreign ministers from the United States, UK, France, Germany and Italy will hold talks Tuesday on developments in Syria, Italy’s Antonio Tajani said Monday as Israeli military continued strikes on military sites in the coastal Tartus region.
“We hope that the first positive signals will transform into concrete positive signals,” Foreign Minister Tajani said at a conference of diplomats at the Italian foreign ministry.
The virtual meeting of the diplomatic Quint comes amid Western moves towards the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that is in charge following the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad.
The EU’s envoy to Syria headed to Damascus Monday for talks after the United States and Britain said they had made contact with the new authorities in the Syrian capital.
Italy, which holds the presidency of the G7 group of rich nations in 2024, earlier this year named an ambassador to Damascus for the first time in over a decade.
It has been eight days since Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other groups ousted Assad from power in Syria.
Israeli Strikes in Syria
Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria since Assad was overthrown.
Strikes continued Monday, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reporting raids on military sites in the coastal Tartus region.
The UK-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said the raids were “the heaviest strikes” in the area in more than a decade.
EU Envoy to Damascus
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday the bloc’s envoy to Syria was going to Damascus to talk to the new rulers, as Western powers step up engagement.
EU nations, like others in the West, are wary of Syria’s new leadership, given that HTS is listed as a “terrorist” group by a number of governments.
HTS has vowed protection for minorities, peace for the country, and justice for victims of Assad’s rule.
“We can’t leave a vacuum,” Kallas said. “For us, it’s not only the words, but we want to see the deeds going in the right direction. So not only what they are saying, but also what they are doing.”
UN Envoy Meets HTS Chief Sharaa
UN special envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen said the country must have a “credible and inclusive” transition, according to a statement from his office.
The statement confirmed he had met HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Pedersen also met interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir, the statement said.
Qatar, Turkey Reopen Embassies
Qatar’s foreign ministry said the Gulf emirate’s embassy in Syria will resume operations on Tuesday.
Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler said Ankara was ready to provide military support to Syria’s new government if it is requested.
Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, 12 years after it closed early in Syria’s civil war.
A French diplomatic team is also due in Damascus on Tuesday to “retake possession of our real estate” and make “initial contact” with the new authorities.
US, UK in Contact with HTS
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that Washington had made contact with HTS, though Washington declared the group a “terrorist” organisation in the United States.
He did not elaborate on how the contact took place but when asked if the United States reached out directly, he said: “Direct contact — yes.”
On Sunday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said London had also established diplomatic contact with HTS, despite still classing it as a “terror” group.
Syria’s Pound Recovers
The Syrian pound has begun to recover against the dollar, moneychangers and traders said as foreign currencies again became available on the local market.
For the first time in years, the black market rate and the official rate are now equal, in the absence of exchange offices.
“In every other country, the currency falls when the regime falls. But here in Syria, it seems the opposite applies,” said jeweller Raghid Mansur in the Damascus souk.
