Arab League Warns Against ‘Strife’ in Syria

The Arab League headquarters in Cairo. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Arab League headquarters in Cairo. Asharq Al-Awsat
TT

Arab League Warns Against ‘Strife’ in Syria

The Arab League headquarters in Cairo. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Arab League headquarters in Cairo. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Arab League has warned against “strife” in Syria, saying it was “following with concern the events taking place in several Syrian cities and areas with the aim of igniting the sparks of conflict.”

It said Thursday that it “rejects the Iranian statements aimed at fueling strife among the Syrian people,” according to a statement from the secretariat.

It did not specify which statements it was referring to.

Syria's newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, said on Tuesday that Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and Syria's sovereignty and security.

"We warn them against spreading chaos in Syria and we hold them accountable for the repercussions of the latest remarks," he said.

Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei lashed out on Thursday against unspecified media reports on Iran “interfering in Syria’s internal affairs” as “baseless.”

Iran was committed to “supporting the territorial integrity and national unity of Syria and the formation of an inclusive political system,” he said in a statement.

On Sunday, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Syrian youth to "stand with firm determination against those who have orchestrated and brought about this insecurity.”

Khamenei forecast "that a strong and honorable group will also emerge in Syria because today Syrian youth have nothing to lose,” calling the country unsafe.



German, French FMs Meet Syria's New Rulers in Damascus

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (2-R) and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock (3-R) pose for a picture with Syrian rescuers known as the "White Helmets" as members of the security forces of Syria's new administration look on, inside the Saydnaya prison, north of Damascus on January 3, 2025. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (2-R) and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock (3-R) pose for a picture with Syrian rescuers known as the "White Helmets" as members of the security forces of Syria's new administration look on, inside the Saydnaya prison, north of Damascus on January 3, 2025. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
TT

German, French FMs Meet Syria's New Rulers in Damascus

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (2-R) and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock (3-R) pose for a picture with Syrian rescuers known as the "White Helmets" as members of the security forces of Syria's new administration look on, inside the Saydnaya prison, north of Damascus on January 3, 2025. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (2-R) and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock (3-R) pose for a picture with Syrian rescuers known as the "White Helmets" as members of the security forces of Syria's new administration look on, inside the Saydnaya prison, north of Damascus on January 3, 2025. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)

The foreign ministers of Germany and France said they wanted to forge a new relationship with Syria and urged a peaceful transition as they met its de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday on behalf of the European Union.
Germany's Annalena Baerbock and France's Jean-Noel Barrot are the first ministers from the EU to visit Syria since opposition fighters seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8 and forced President Bashar al-Assad to flee.
"My trip today...is a clear signal to the Syrians: A new political beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria, is possible," Baerbock said before she left for Damascus.
Barrot expressed his hope "for a sovereign, stable and peaceful Syria" after arriving in Damascus, where he also visited the French embassy, which has been closed since 2012.
Barrot, who met with the Syrian staff who looked after the French embassy's closed facilities, said France would work towards re-establishing diplomatic representation in line with political and security conditions, diplomatic sources said.

Baerbock and Barrot visited Syria's Saydnaya prison, an emblem of abuses under Assad.

"Now it's up to the international community to help bring justice to the people who have suffered here in this prison of hell," Baerbock said.