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Moroccan FM Holds Talks with de Mistura in Rabat

Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. (AFP)
Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. (AFP)
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Moroccan FM Holds Talks with de Mistura in Rabat

Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. (AFP)
Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. (AFP)

Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura met Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita in Rabat, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The regional visit of de Mistura is part of the implementation of Security Council resolution 2602, adopted on October 29, 2021, in which the UN Executive Body reiterates its call to the parties to continue their commitment to the roundtable process to achieve a realistic political solution based on compromise, the official MAP agency reported.

It also said that Moroccan officials reiterated the kingdom’s "commitment to the resumption of the political process conducted under the exclusive auspices of the UN to achieve a political solution" based on a Moroccan plan for autonomy.

Rabat sees the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony with access to lucrative phosphate resources and rich Atlantic fisheries, as its sovereign territory.

But the Polisario Front, which took up arms in the 1970s to seek independence there, demands an independence referendum on the basis of a 1991 deal that included a ceasefire.

The truce collapsed in 2020, after the Trump administration recognized Rabat's sovereignty over the Western Sahara.

Morocco has offered limited autonomy but rejected calls for independence.

King Mohamed VI reiterated that position in a November speech, calling for a "peaceful solution" to the conflict but vowed that "Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara will never be up for negotiation".

According to AFP, the last talks, under de Mistura's predecessor Horst Kohler, were in Switzerland in 2019, in a roundtable format including Morocco, the Polisario, Algeria and Mauritania.

But Algiers has since refused to take part in further roundtable discussions.

A UN Security Council resolution late last year called for "the parties" in the Western Sahara dispute to resume negotiations "without preconditions".

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Syrian Government Intensifies Security Measures in Druze Areas Near Damascus

Druze men carry weapons at a checkpoint in Jaramana near Damascus (AFP). 
Druze men carry weapons at a checkpoint in Jaramana near Damascus (AFP). 
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Syrian Government Intensifies Security Measures in Druze Areas Near Damascus

Druze men carry weapons at a checkpoint in Jaramana near Damascus (AFP). 
Druze men carry weapons at a checkpoint in Jaramana near Damascus (AFP). 

The Syrian government is stepping up its security operations in Druze-majority towns in southern Syria, aiming to stabilize volatile areas in both rural Suwayda and the Damascus suburbs following recent sectarian unrest. Despite a newly brokered ceasefire, community leaders report that tensions remain in the districts of Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya.

Government forces continue to expand their presence in Al-Surah, a town in northern Suwayda, in an effort to push back armed groups operating outside state control. The campaign comes amid fears of renewed violence, particularly after clashes earlier this week that were sparked by the leak of an audio recording allegedly featuring a Druze cleric making offensive comments about Islam.

The recording ignited two days of violent confrontations, starting in Jaramana on Tuesday and spreading to Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, resulting in multiple casualties.

On Wednesday evening, a high-level meeting in Damascus brought together the governors of Suwayda, Rural Damascus, and Quneitra, alongside prominent Druze clerics and community leaders. According to Bassem Abu Fakhr, spokesperson for the “Men of Dignity” movement led by Sheikh Yahya Al-Hajjar, the meeting led to a ceasefire agreement and a plan to regulate arms in the region. Under the agreement, only personnel from the Ministries of Defense and Interior will be authorized to carry weapons.

Abu Fakhr told Asharq Al-Awsat that the deal also authorizes General Security forces to enter Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and assume control, with assurances that civilians would be protected from attacks by any group. A joint oversight committee was established to monitor compliance with the agreement’s terms.

In a statement published on its Telegram channel, the Suwayda Governorate confirmed the preliminary ceasefire and emphasized the importance of a cooperative approach to halt bloodshed and restore calm. Security officials also declared the conclusion of a military operation in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, with security chief Hossam Al-Tahan reporting that government forces had entered all neighborhoods and begun efforts to restore order.

Despite these moves, local residents report that tensions are far from resolved. In Jaramana, civil society representative Rabih Munzer described the atmosphere as “tense” and said that checkpoints at the city’s entrances are now manned by local General Security forces. He noted that the recent agreement has yet to be enacted, and a previous deal signed in March remains unimplemented.

Responding to calls from Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri for the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in Syria, Munzer stated: “We are responsible for our own words—not the words of others.” He also warned of continued provocations by armed groups surrounding the city, including sniper fire and sporadic gunshots targeting civilians.

Further south in Al-Surah, security deployments continue under the supervision of the Suwayda Governor and the commander of the Syrian Army’s 40th Division. State-run media released images of security forces in the area, including photos of the governor overseeing the operation to pave the way for displaced residents to return safely.

However, Abu Fakhr warned that several villages—Kanaker, Ara, Sass, Al-Surah, and Dama—remain under threat from what he described as jihadist groups.