BRUSSELS: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday the bloc\u2019s envoy to Syria was going to Damascus to talk to the new Islamist-led rulers, as Western powers stepped up engagement after the ouster of Bashar Assad.
\nThe outreach from Brussels comes after the United States and Britain said they had made contact with the new authorities in Damascus, spearheaded by rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS).
\nRegional and international powers are jostling for influence in Syria after Assad was toppled in a lightning offensive, ending five decades of his family\u2019s rule.
\n\u201cOur top diplomat in Syria will go to Damascus today. We\u2019ll have the contacts there,\u201d Kallas told journalists ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
\nEU nations \u2014 like others in the West \u2014 are wary of the new leadership in Damascus, given that HTS had its roots in Al-Qaeda and is listed as a terror group by a number of governments.
\nThe EU cut ties with the Assad regime in Damascus during the country\u2019s civil war, but has remained a major donor of humanitarian aid to help local populations.
\nKallas said EU foreign ministers in Brussels would discuss \u201chow we engage with the new leadership of Syria, and on what level we engage.\u201d
\n\u201cWe can\u2019t leave a vacuum,\u201d Kallas, who took over as the EU\u2019s top diplomat this month, said.
\nInternational players have expressed cautious optimism as the nascent authorities in Damascus have vowed to protect minorities and form an inclusive government.
\nDiplomats say some EU member states are pushing to step up ties with Syria after Assad\u2019s ouster, while others are more cautious.
\n\u201cFor us, it\u2019s not only the words, but we want to see the deeds going to the right direction. So not only what they are saying, but also what they are doing,\u201d Kallas said.
\n\u201cI think the coming weeks and months will show whether it goes to the right direction. And I think then we are also open to discuss next steps,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BRUSSELS: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday the bloc\u2019s envoy to Syria was going to Damascus to talk to the new Islamist-led rulers, as Western powers stepped up engagement after the ouster of Bashar Assad. The outreach from Brussels comes after the United States and Britain said they had made contact with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":449727,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-449717","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n