In exchange, the French official added, Syrian authorities will be required to launch “a political transition which includes all Syrians,” fight back against “any resurgence of ISIS” and ensure “the control and destruction of all stocks of chemical weapons of the [Bashar] Assad administration.”
Barrot and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock traveled to Syria earlier this month to meet with Islamist rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the country’s de facto leader following the downfall of the Assad regime in December.
The EU continues to list al-Golani’s organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as a terrorist organization and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in December warned that the regime change in Syria “offers opportunities but is not without risks.”
