Syrian leader heads to France in first European trip

SYRIAN President Ahmed al-Sharaa was to visit Paris yesterday, his first trip to Europe since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, as he seeks international support for his efforts to bring greater stability to his war-shattered country.

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Sharaa, who will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, received an exemption from the UN to travel to Paris as he remains on a terrorism sanctions list for his previous leadership of Islamist armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al Qaeda affiliate.

The two leaders will discuss how to ensure Syria's sovereignty and security, the handling of minorities after recent attacks against Alawites and Druze, counter-terrorism efforts against Islamic State militants and the coordination of aid and economic support, including an easing of sanctions, French officials said.

The visit marks a diplomatic boost for Sharaa from a Western power at a time when the US is refusing to recognise any entity as the government of Syria and keeping sanctions in place.

“We are not writing a blank cheque and we will judge (him) on actions,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told TF1 TV channel.