France rejects regional normalizations with Syria’s Assad
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The French delegation to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) called for a political solution to the Syrian crisis on Thursday, April 27, rejecting the recent rapprochement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Regional powers such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia are posed to normalize relations with Damascus. Nicolas de Riviere, France’s permanent representative to the UN, said that such “normalization dynamics at work since the recent earthquake will not allow Syria to achieve lasting stability.”
“Syria will continue to destabilize the region: corruption, terrorism, captagon, and the impossible return of refugees will remain realities,” the French diplomat added.
On April 25, the European Union (EU) added new individuals and eight entities on the Syria sanctions list, including members of al-Assad’s family, accusing them of drug making and trafficking.
De Riviere stated that humanitarian support for the Syrian people were a “moral imperative,” but not a political solution.
France has provided Syria with 26 million Euros and 40 tons of emergency supplies since the devastating earthquake on February 6.
In March, the French senate hosted spokespeople for the administration in northeast Syria, honoring representatives of People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Kurdish Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) for their fight against Islamic State (ISIS), and discussing political developments in Syria and Turkish attack against the region.
In early April, a delegation from the French senate and parliament travelled to northeast Syria and voiced their support for the local administration.