France to push EU on Syria sanctions as Macron meets Al Shara

Indirect talks with Israel have been conducted through mediators to ease tension after bombings, Syrian leader says

France will work in the next weeks to convince European countries to lift more sanctions from Syria on June 1, French President Emmanuel Macron said in Paris, alongside Syrian leader Ahmad Al Shara.

Western sanctions, which were issued mostly after the fallen Bashar Al Assad regime's repression against anti-government protesters in 2011, have weighed heavily on Syria's ability to rebuild since the former president was toppled in December.

The EU partially lifted sanctions in February but US sanctions, which have more far-reaching implications, remain in place.

Let us have the humility to look at the pages of our own history

French President Emmanuel Macron

The further lifting of EU sanctions, with the possibility of reinstating them at a later date, is "coherent", Mr Macron said, to help Syria regain stability and economic growth so it can welcome back the millions of refugees that fled 14 years of civil war. France will work on convincing hesitant EU states and the US, which has extraterritorial sanctions on Syria.

"We will actively work with them [European countries] to lift their doubts, while remaining in touch with the |Syrian] President and his team to respond to legitimate questions," Mr Macron said.

First trip to West

The French President, who was attacked by the French far-right for receiving Mr Al Shara due to his past links to Al Qaeda, said it was necessary to have a "demanding dialogue" with countries that shared France's security concerns in the region. "Let us have the humility to look at the pages of our own history, after wars of a few years or revolutions of a few others, how long it took us to recover," Mr Macron said.

Mr Al Shara has made numerous trips in the Middle East since he took power but this was his first to a western country. He used to lead rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which is listed as a terror group by the UN for its former links to Al Qaeda. It remains listed and France had to make an exemption request for Mr Al Shara to be able to visit Paris.

The Syrian President said his visit was "more than a diplomatic visit" because it recognised the ability of the Syrian people to rebuild. He said the fall of the Assad regime in December should have meant the end of western sanctions against Syria. "President Macron has said that he will do everything in his power to lift the sanctions against the Syrian people," Mr Al Shara said.

The two leaders also discussed recent Israeli strikes against Syria, ostensibly to protect the Druze community from sectarian attacks. They have been condemned by Paris and Damascus.

Indirect talks with Israel have been conducted through mediators so that the situation does not spiral out of control, Mr Al Shara said. "We hope to talk to all countries in contact with the Israelis to put pressure on the Israelis to stop interfering in Syrian affairs, violating airspace and bombing our installations," he said.

The Israeli strikes on Syria are a "bad practice," Mr Macron said, adding that the Syrian leader had told him he was open for "technical discussions" with Israel.

France also wants Syria to arrest and try those responsible for sectarian violence in the country, which has been worsened by the Israeli bombardments and occupation of a buffer zone in the Golan Heights. More than 1,700 people died on the coast in March and more than 100 were killed last week near Damascus.

"The government is committed to ensure that anyone who has killed a civilian, who has attacked a person or who has attacked someone's property is judged under the law regardless of their affiliation, whether it's those who claim to be dependent on the state or the remnants of the old regime," Mr Al Shara said.

The Syrian leader was referring to the coastal killings, which were started by an ambush of units belonging to Hayat Tahrir Al Sham. The coast is known to be a stronghold of former president Bashar Al Assad. The transitional government set up an investigation committee after the March killings. It has three months to deliver its results.

US troops urged to stay in north-east Syria

France has also welcomed the deal struck in March between Mr Al Shara and Kurdish authorities in the north-east, which had become almost autonomous during the civil war. But talks in Washington of withdrawing US troops from the region have caused alarm among Kurds, who strengthened their alliance with the West during their fight against ISIS.

The US should work with France to help Syria rebuild rather than withdraw hastily because ISIS is still active in the region, Mr Macron said. "If we let them prosper, they will threaten the security of the entire region and of Europeans, as we have seen in the past," he said.

Earlier in the day, Mr Al Shara met Farid Al Madhan, a whistleblower known as Caesar, who smuggled out tens of thousands of pictures of those tortured and killed in Mr Al Assad's prisons. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani was also in the meeting.

Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara, left, meets whistleblower Farid Al Madhan, also known as 'Caesar', in Paris. Sana