UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in Damascus on Saturday to begin the first visit to Syria by a leader of the world body in 17 years.
Mr Guterres was received at Damascus airport by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani. The UN chief is also to meet President Ahmad Al Shara, whose country is seeking international support to recover from more than a decade of civil war and as it faces Israeli incursions in the south.
The UN maintained links with the regime of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad and adhered to its conditions on providing aid and projects. That happened despite mass transgressions in regions the regime controlled during the civil war, as well as the use of chemical weapons in rebel-held areas.
The UN Security Council in February lifted sanctions on Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which led the rebel offensive that overthrew Mr Assad in December 2024. The decision came after a US diplomatic drive and moves by Mr Al Shara to open channels with countries that supported the former regime, particularly Russia.
A Syrian official told The National this week that Mr Guterres and Mr Al Shara would discuss the acceleration of UN recovery projects and a more active role for the world body's Disengagement Observer Force, which operates on the edge of the occupied Golan Heights.
Israel occupied more territory in the area after the downfall of the Assad regime and Israeli troops conduct regular incursions into Syrian territory.
“The UN projects provide hard currency Syria is in dire need of,” the official said. Damascus has told UN agencies they can continue to operate as long as they stop dealing with and hiring associates of the former regime, the official added.
Two thirds of Syria’s 23 million population need humanitarian help, while 5.5 million remain internally displaced, UN data shows. Recovery “will depend on sustained funding and safe conditions”, organisation said.
US efforts to forge a peace deal between Syria and Israel appear to have faltered in recent months, with Damascus adopting a tougher stance towards the country and its incursions.
In 1973, Syria launched a war to regain the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967. A year later, Henry Kissinger, US secretary of state at the time, oversaw a deal under which a UN-mandated buffer zone was established between the two sides, keeping Israel in control of the Golan and restricting the type of forces and weapons that Syria could have in the area.
Shortly after the downfall of the Assad regime, Israel advanced beyond the 1974 line and established a de facto security zone. The area spans parts of Deraa, rural Damascus and Quneitra.
