French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, May 7, told visiting Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to protect all people in the multi-confessional country as the former rebel Islamist chief confirmed indirect talks with Israel aiming to calm tensions. Alarm over clashes that have left hundreds dead among minority communities have overshadowed the first months of the government that overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.
Macron has been criticized for hosting a figure seen by some as a jihadist-turned-politician on his first official visit to a European country. But the French president insisted engagement was essential and offered hope of a gradual easing of the Assad-era sanctions against Damascus.
Sectarian clashes in March, in which more than 1,700 people were killed, mostly among Assad's Alawite minority, sparked international condemnation and doubts over Syria's new path. More recent clashes involving Druze fighters and NGO reports of abuses have also raised doubts about the interim government's ability to control extremists.
Adding to the pressure, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on the country since Assad's overthrow, including one near the presidential palace in Damascus on Friday. Macron said the strikes were not in Israel's interests.
Al-Sharaa said that Syria was holding "indirect talks through mediators" with Israel to calm tensions and "try to contain the situation so it does not reach the point where it escapes the control of both sides." Macron meanwhile called for a continuation of "the gradual lifting of European economic sanctions" if the new Islamist authorities stabilise the country. He added that Washington should follow suit and also hold off for "as long as possible" from withdrawing American troops from Syria. Al-Sharaa said there was no justification for maintaining European sanctions, arguing that they were "placed on the former regime because of the crimes it committed."
Al-Sharaa headed the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which spearheaded Assad's downfall after 14 years of civil war but previously had links to Al-Qaeda. He is still subject to a UN travel ban and France most likely had to request an exemption from the United Nations, as was the case for his recent trips to Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The invitation to al-Sharaa caused controversy in France, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen accusing Macron of hosting talks with "a jihadist" in a "provocative and irresponsible" meeting. The head of the mainstream right-wing Republicans in parliament, Laurent Wauquiez, denounced the meeting as "a serious error." But Macron strongly defended the invitation. "He has put an end to a regime that we condemned and fought against and he is ready to make commitments. The first actions have led to results," he said.