Qatar says it will soon reopen its embassy in Syria, foreign ministry says

Qatar says it will soon reopen its embassy in Syria, foreign ministry says
Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs X account)
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Updated 13 min 10 sec ago
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Qatar says it will soon reopen its embassy in Syria, foreign ministry says

Qatar says it will soon reopen its embassy in Syria, foreign ministry says

DUBAI: Qatar will soon reopen its embassy in Syria after finalising necessary arrangements, foreign ministry said in a post on X on Wednesday.

Earlier, the Foreign Ministry has reiterated its commitment to engaging with all parties in Syria to shape the country’s future.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari emphasized that “all doors and channels of communication” are open, highlighting the importance of collaborative efforts to achieve progress.

Al-Ansari described the situation as “historic days for the region,” and that it was a “ray of hope” for the Syrian people to fulfill their aspirations amid ongoing challenges.

He criticized Israel’s actions in Syria, stating it was unacceptable for Tel Aviv to “exploit” the current circumstances and violate that nation’s sovereignty.

 


Kurdish-led force announces US-brokered truce in Syria’s Manbij

Kurdish-led force announces US-brokered truce in Syria’s Manbij
Updated 13 sec ago
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Kurdish-led force announces US-brokered truce in Syria’s Manbij

Kurdish-led force announces US-brokered truce in Syria’s Manbij
  • US-backed SDF fighters spearheaded an offensive that defeated the Daesh group’s self-declared caliphate in Syria in 2019
  • US Central Command said its chief General Michael Kurilla had visited US bases and SDF partners in Syria
Beirut: The Kurdish-led force controlling northeast Syria said Wednesday it had reached a US-brokered ceasefire with Turkish-backed fighters in Manbij, after Islamist-led rebels toppled Bashar Assad’s government.
The clashes in Manbij, an Arab-majority city, have killed 218 combatants since Turkish-backed groups launched offensives in the north following the ouster of Assad on Sunday.
“We have reached a ceasefire agreement in Manbij via US mediation,” said Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Abdi.
He said fighters of the SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council “will be withdrawn from the area as soon as possible.”
“Our goal is to reach a ceasefire across Syria and start a political process for the future of the country,” Abdi added.
Abdi had told reporters last week that the United Nations had been in touch with the SDF about helping to “shape a political resolution for Syria” as rebels seized power.
The US-backed SDF fighters spearheaded an offensive that defeated the Daesh group’s self-declared caliphate in Syria in 2019.
On Tuesday, US Central Command said its chief General Michael Kurilla had visited US bases and SDF partners in Syria.
Earlier this month, the pro-Turkiye fighters seized the strategic northern enclave of Tal Rifaat from Kurdish forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.
Ankara sees the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which dominate the SDF, as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Arab-majority Tal Rifaat and Manbij are among three Kurdish-held areas in the north that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had repeatedly threatened to seize.

Pope calls for ‘mutual respect’ between religions in Syria

Pope calls for ‘mutual respect’ between religions in Syria
Updated 59 min 42 sec ago
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Pope calls for ‘mutual respect’ between religions in Syria

Pope calls for ‘mutual respect’ between religions in Syria
  • Pope Francis called Wednesday for “mutual respect” between religions in Syria

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis called Wednesday for “mutual respect” between religions in Syria, three days after the country’s longtime president Bashar Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive.
“I pray... that the Syrian people may live in peace and security in their beloved land and the different religions may walk together in friendship and mutual respect for the good of that nation afflicted by so many years of war,” Francis said during his weekly general audience.


Blinken to visit Turkiye on Friday to discuss Syria: official source

Blinken to visit Turkiye on Friday to discuss Syria: official source
Updated 50 min 54 sec ago
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Blinken to visit Turkiye on Friday to discuss Syria: official source

Blinken to visit Turkiye on Friday to discuss Syria: official source

ANKARA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Turkiye on Friday to discuss the developments in Syria following the toppling of strongman Bashar Assad, a Turkish official source said Wednesday.
“He will be in Turkiye on Friday,” the source said of the visit which will come just five days after Assad’s unexpected ouster, pledging to share more details “as they are finalized.”


Egyptian foreign minister to visit China this week

Egyptian foreign minister to visit China this week
Updated 11 December 2024
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Egyptian foreign minister to visit China this week

Egyptian foreign minister to visit China this week
  • The two countries will hold a foreign ministers’ level strategic dialogue, Mao added

BEIJING: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty will visit China from Dec. 12-13, Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, told a regular press conference on Wednesday.
The two countries will hold a foreign ministers’ level strategic dialogue, Mao added. The Arab League, an assembly of 22 Middle Eastern and North African nations, including Syria, is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt’s capital.


HTS leader: No reason for the West to fear Syria after Assad’s fall

HTS leader: No reason for the West to fear Syria after Assad’s fall
Updated 40 min 58 sec ago
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HTS leader: No reason for the West to fear Syria after Assad’s fall

HTS leader: No reason for the West to fear Syria after Assad’s fall
  • Abu Mohammed Al-Golani does not want to start ‘another war’
  • ‘Solution’ to Syria’s recovery is ‘absence’ of Assad, Iran’s proxies

DUBAI: The West has no reason to fear Syria following the ousting of Bashar Assad’s regime, Abu Mohammed Al-Golani, leader of the group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), told Sky News on Wednesday.

In his first interview with a Western outlet since Assad fled, Al-Golani insisted that Syria is on a path to stability. 

“The fear stemmed from the regime’s presence. Syria is now on a path toward development, reconstruction, and stability,” he said during an interview in Damascus with Sky News’ international news editor, Zein Jaafar, and Middle East producer, Celine Al-Khaldi.

Golani, a former member of the Daesh of Iraq who previously led Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria before severing ties in 2016, is now trying to present himself as a more moderate leader. However, HTS remains designated as a terrorist organization by the UN, US, UK, and other nations.

Despite his reassurances, HTS’s rapid rise to power has fueled fears among Syria’s minorities, including Kurds, Alawites, and Christians.

“The country isn’t ready for another war, nor will it enter one,” Golani stated, emphasizing that Syrians are weary from years of conflict.

He also described the removal of Iranian militias, Hezbollah, and Assad’s regime as essential for Syria’s recovery. “Their absence is the solution. The current situation rules out a return to panic,” he said.

Golani praised his fighters, claiming they took charge of Syria without any foreign support or interference. In a pointed reference to Russian and Iranian backing of the Assad regime, he said all former “colonizers” had failed to control the country.