Top EU diplomats visit Syria, visit ousted Assad regime’s notorious Sednaya prison, call for inclusive leadership

Damascus – The European Union supports a peaceful, inclusive transition in Syria, top French and German diplomats said on Friday as they visited Damascus to meet with new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock were in the Syrian capital for talks on behalf of the European Union, in the highest-level visit by a major Western power since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last month.

One of their first stops was the infamous Sednaya prison, not far from the capital.

Accompanied by White Helmet rescuers, Barrot and Baerbock toured the cells and underground dungeons of Sednaya, which for decades stood as a terrifying symbol of the atrocities committed against Assad’s opponents.

The prison was the site of extrajudicial executions, torture and forced disappearances. An advocacy group said more than 4,000 people were freed from the detention facility when rebel forces captured Damascus on December 8. Countless other prisoners – both criminals and Assad opponents – simply disappeared after being imprisoned there.

In 2017, the US State Department said the Assad regime used a crematorium in Sednaya to dispose of dead bodies in a effort to “cover up” the mass murders it was happening there.

“Crazy hope” for a “stable and peaceful” Syria

Sharaa, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the offensive that toppled Assad. The HTS-dominated interim authorities now face the daunting task of rebuilding state institutions with increasing demands to ensure an inclusive transition and guarantee minority rights.

Barrot in Damascus expressed hope for a “sovereign, stable and peaceful” Syria.

It was also a “hope that the aspirations of all Syrians can be realized,” he added, “but it is a fragile hope.”

In a statement, Baerbock said Germany wanted to help Syria become a “safe home” for its entire population and a “functioning state with full control over its territory.”

She said the visit was a “clear signal” to Damascus about the possibility of a new relationship between Syria and Germany and Europe more broadly.

The European diplomats’ closed-door meeting with Sharaa on Friday lasted about an hour and a half, and they did not make formal statements to reporters afterwards.

Earlier, in an article in X, Barrot said: “Together, France and Germany stand with the Syrian people in all their diversity.”

He added that the two European powers wanted to promote a “peaceful transition” to a new government in the country.

Despite “skepticism” about HTS — which was formerly the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda and is still designated a terrorist organization by the United States and several other governments — Baerbock said that “we must not miss the opportunity to support the Syrian people at this important crossroads.”

Sharaa has distanced itself and HTS from al-Qaeda in recent years, and the group’s public statements have suggested plans to respect Syria’s myriad religious groups.

The Biden administration said after Assad fled to Russia that the United States could recognize a new Syrian government under certain conditions. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said the new leadership and transition process must ensure the protection of Syria’s minority groups, a flow of humanitarian aid into the country, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorist organizations and help ensure that any chemical and biological weapons are secured and destroyed.

Baerbock said Friday that Berlin stood ready to support “an inclusive and peaceful transfer of power” as well as social “reconciliation” in Syria.

She also asked the new regime to avoid “acts of revenge against groups in the population”, to avoid a long delay before elections, and to fend off any attempt to “Islamize” the justice and education systems.

Since Assad’s ouster, a number of foreign envoys have traveled to Damascus to meet with the country’s new leaders. France and Germany had both already sent lower-level delegations last month.

At the beginning of his visit, Barrot met with representatives of Syria’s Christian community. Diplomatic sources said Barrot told the Christian leaders that France was committed to a pluralistic Syria with equal rights for all, including minority groups.

Syria’s civil war – which began in 2011 with the Assad government’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests – saw Germany, France and a host of other countries close their diplomatic missions in Damascus.

The conflict killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and left Syria fragmented and devastated.

The new authorities have called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad to allow for reconstruction.

Paris is to host an international summit on Syria later this month, following a similar meeting in December in Jordan.