Two informed sources said that American, French and German envoys warned the new Syrian administration that their appointment of what they described as “foreign jihadists” in senior military positions represents a source of security concern and harms their image in their attempt to establish relations with foreign countries.
Reuters quoted a US official as saying that the warning issued by the United States, which comes within the framework of Western efforts to push Syria’s new leaders to reconsider this step, came in a meeting between US envoy Daniel Rubinstein and the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on Wednesday at the presidential palace in Damascus.
“These appointments will not help them maintain their reputation in the United States,” the official said.
An official familiar with the talks explained that the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, also raised the issue of foreign fighters recruited into the army during their meeting with Al-Sharaa on January 3.
A US State Department spokesman said that Washington is in ongoing dialogue with the interim authorities in Damascus.
The spokesman added, “The discussions are constructive and address a wide range of local and international issues,” explaining that there is “tangible progress on priorities for combating terrorism, including ISIS.”
“Make sacrifices”
The American official and a Western source said that the Damascus government provided clarifications for the appointments of foreign fighters by saying that they could not simply be returned to their homelands or deported abroad where they might face persecution, and that it was better to keep them in Syria.
The American official added that the authorities also explained that these people helped rid Syria of the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, and that some of them spent more than 10 years in the country, and thus they became part of society.
Syrian administration officials said the foreign fighters made sacrifices to help overthrow Assad, and they will have a place in Syria, adding that they may obtain citizenship.
Late last year, Reuters reported that the new Syrian administration had made about 50 appointments, including at least 6 foreign fighters, including Chinese, Uighurs from Central Asia, a Turk, an Egyptian, and a Jordanian.
A Syrian military source said that 3 of them attained the rank of brigadier general, and at least 3 others attained the rank of colonel.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham led an attack that toppled Assad on December 8. Since then, it has installed a government in the country and dissolved Assad’s army. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham is making efforts to restructure the armed forces.