Top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday to discuss Syria, as world powers push for stability after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The talks – which come a month after Islamist-led rebels toppled Assad – will include a meeting of Arab officials as well as a broader gathering also including Turkey, France, the European Union and the United Nations, a Saudi official told French news agency AFP.
Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the main rebel group in the alliance that overthrew Assad, is pushing for sanctions relief. His administration is represented at the Riyadh talks by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
Western powers, including the United States and the European Union, imposed sanctions on Assad’s government over his brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011, which triggered civil war.
More than 13 years of conflict have killed over half a million Syrians, left infrastructure destroyed and the people impoverished, while millions have fled their homes, including to Europe.
The United States Treasury Department said last Monday it would ease enforcement on restrictions affecting essential services including energy and sanitation.
But US officials say they will wait to see progress before any wider easing of sanctions.
US Under Secretary of State John Bass was also set to attend the Riyadh meeting, coming from talks in Turkey that addressed “the importance of regional stability, preventing Syria from being used as a base for terrorism, and ensuring the enduring defeat” of the Islamic State group, the State Department said.
Inclusive government
(with AFP)
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