Interim President Ahmed Alshara says Syria will hold indirect consultations with Israel “through mediators.”
Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa says his government is engaged in indirect consultations with Israel to ease the escalation of tensions between the two countries.
The announcement comes after last week’s escalation of Israeli attacks on Syria, including a strike that landed just 500 meters (1,640 feet) from Damascus’ presidential palace on Friday.
Israel argued that the recent airstrikes are a response to what it described as a threat to the country’s minority communities.
“There will be indirect consultations with Israel through mediators, and in order to calmly and absorb the situation, we will try to ensure that both parties do not reach a level where they lose control,” Alshara said, reiterating Israel’s responsibility for what he described as a “random intervention” in Syria.
He also said that Damascus is speaking to communicate with Israel by “stop intervening in Syrian issues and putting pressure on them to bomb some of its infrastructure.”
There were no immediate comments from Israeli authorities.
Alshara’s remarks come during a groundbreaking visit to Paris, his first trip to the European country, after leading opposition fighters in a lightning strike that defeated longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.
Al-Sharara remained under international sanctions, and due to his previous role as leader of the armed group Hayat Tahri Al-Sham (HTS), former al-Qaeda affiliate, visited the United Nations special exemption.
Lifting sanctions
Speaking in Paris after meeting President Emmanuel Macron at Elicie Palace, Alshara called for the lifting of Syria’s economic restrictions, saying “there is no justification for maintaining the sanctions imposed on the previous regime.”
Macron said the French president would consider gradually lifting European Union sanctions if Syria continues along its current path.
“I told the President that if he continues his path, we would first do the same by gradually lifting European sanctions, then lobby our American partners to follow suit on the issue,” Macron said.
The European Union has already lifted some restrictions, but other measures targeting individuals and groups have been set to expire on June 1st. Sanctions relief for sectors such as oil, gas, electricity and transportation remains important for Syria, with the World Bank estimated that the country would cost more than $250 billion.
Despite easing sanctions by European countries, the Trump administration has been more reserved in its approach to the new Syrian regime.
Macron revealed that it is urging the US to delay planned military withdrawals from Syria, and argued that sanctions should be lifted as a step towards ensuring long-term stability.
Reporting from Paris, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler said, “In return, Macron hopes that the new Syrian government will protect minorities, ensure stability and crack down on what it calls terrorist organizations, including ISIS.”
“Sharaa is a bit wary and is here to project a encouraging image on French western allies, who are looking at the direction their new leadership is heading,” Butler added.