JAKARTA - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Paris on Wednesday, his first trip to Europe since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December.
al-Sharra is aggressively seeking international support for its efforts to bring greater stability to its country which was devastated by the war.
Sharaa, who will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, received an exception from the United Nations to travel to Paris as he is still on the list of terrorism sanctions for his previous leadership over Islamist Islamist Islamist Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al Qaeda affiliate.
The two leaders will discuss ways to ensure Syria's sovereignty and security, the handling of minorities after recent attacks on Alawite and Druze, counterterrorism efforts against ISIS militants, and coordination of economic aid and support, including easing sanctions, French officials said.
The visit marked a diplomatic push for Sharaa from Western powers at a time when the United States refused to recognize any entity as the Syrian government and continued to impose sanctions.
"We did not write blank checks and we will judge (he) based on action," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told TF1 TV channel on Wednesday, May 7.
He said Paris wanted to ensure Syria focused on fighting impunity to reduce sectarian violence and its full involvement in dealing with ISIS militants.
"If Syria collapses today, it's like rolling out a red carpet for ISIS," said Barrot.
Franco-Alawite Collective staged a protest against Sharaa in downtown Paris on Wednesday afternoon.
The same group filed a legal complaint on April 11 against Paris prosecutors addressed to Sharaa and several of its ministers over genocide and crimes against humanity over the mass killings of Alawi residents in March on the coastal territory of the country.
France welcomes Assad's fall and further improves relations with the Sharaa transitional authorities.
Macron recently held a trilateral video meeting with Sharaa and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun as part of efforts to ease tensions at the border.
Last month, France appointed a power of attorney in Damascus with a small team of diplomats as a step towards a complete reopening of its embassy.
Paris believes it has cards to play in Syria, after cutting ties with Assad in 2012 and refusing to restore relations with its government even after opposition fighters were defeated and locked up in the country's northern territory.
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Paris has traditionally supported secularly exiled opposition and Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, where France already has special forces.
Over the past few months, France has played an intermediary role between Sharaa and Kurdish as the United States began to reduce its presence and a new Syrian leader is trying to bring the region back under centralized control from Damascus.
A French presidential official said Paris had held talks with America on how to deal with the withdrawal of Washington's troops and how France could play a bigger role.
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