Senior EU diplomats visited Syria, visited the infamous Sednaya prison of the Assad regime, called for inclusive leadership

Damascus — The European Union supports a peaceful, inclusive transition in Syria, top French and German diplomats said Friday during a visit to Damascus to meet with new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

French foreign ministers Jean-Noël Barrot and his German counterpart Analene Berbock were in the Syrian capital for talks on behalf of the European Union, as part of the highest-level visit by a major Western power since Islamist forces. overthrew long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad last month.

One of their first stops was the infamous Syadnaya prison not far from the capital.

Accompanied by rescuers from the White Helmets, Barro and Berbock visited the cells and underground dungeons of Sedna, which for decades stood as a terrible symbol of the atrocities committed against Assad's opponents.

The prison was a site of extrajudicial executions, torture and enforced disappearances. The advocacy group said more than 4,000 people were freed from a detention center when rebel forces took Damascus on December 8. Countless other prisoners—both criminals and opponents of Assad—simply disappeared after being imprisoned.

In 2017, the US State Department said that the Assad regime was using a crematorium in Siedna to dispose of bodies in attempts to “cover up” mass murders it was performed there.

“Fragile hope” for a “stable and peaceful” Syria

Sharaa, the head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the offensive that toppled Assad. The interim government, dominated by the VTS, now faces the difficult task of rebuilding state institutions, with growing calls to ensure an inclusive transition and guarantee minority rights.

Baro in Damascus expressed hope for a “sovereign, stable and peaceful” Syria.

It was also “a hope that the aspirations of all Syrians can be realized,” he added, “but it is a faint hope.”

In a statement, Berbock said Germany wants to help Syria become a “safe home” for all its people and a “functioning state with full control over its territory.”

She said the visit was a “clear signal” to Damascus about the possibility of a new relationship between Syria and Germany and Europe more broadly.

The closed meeting of European diplomats with Shara on Friday lasted about one and a half hours, they did not give official statements to journalists afterwards.

Earlier in his message to X, Barro said: “France and Germany together stand by the Syrian people in all their diversity.”

He added that the two European states want to facilitate a “peaceful transition” to a new government in the country.

Despite his “skepticism” about HTS — which was formerly al-Qaeda's Syrian branch and remains a designated terrorist organization by the US and many other governments — Burbock said “we must not miss the opportunity to support the Syrian people at this important crossroads .”

In recent years, Sharaa has distanced himself and HTS from al-Qaeda, and the group's public statements indicate plans to respect Syria's many religious groups.

After Assad fled to Russia, the Biden administration said the U.S. could recognize the new Syrian government under certain conditions. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the new leadership and transition process must ensure the protection of Syria's minorities, the flow of humanitarian aid into the country, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorist organizations and help ensure that any chemical and biological weapons are protected and destroyed.

Burbock said on Friday that Berlin is ready to support an “inclusive and peaceful transfer of power” as well as social “reconciliation” in Syria.

She also asked the new regime to avoid “acts of revenge against groups of people”, to avoid long delays before elections and to prevent any attempts to “Islamize” the judicial and educational systems.

After Assad's ouster, a group of foreign envoys went to Damascus to meet with the country's new leaders. France and Germany already sent lower-level delegations last month.

At the beginning of the visit, Baro met with representatives of the Christian communities of Syria. Diplomatic sources said Barro told Christian leaders that France was committed to a pluralistic Syria with equal rights for all, including minority groups.

Syria's civil war, which began in 2011 with the Assad government's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, has led Germany, France and scores of other countries to close their diplomatic missions in Damascus.

The conflict has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions, and left Syria fragmented and devastated.

The new authorities have called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad to allow for reconstruction.

Paris is due to host an international summit on Syria later this month, following a similar meeting in December in Jordan.