PARIS: Western powers are looking to establish contact with Syria鈥檚 new rulers, aiming to avoid Iraq- or Libya-style chaos after the fall of the Assad regime to the opposition.
Europe鈥檚 top diplomat Kaja Kallas was heading to Damascus on Monday, after a number of countries, including the United States, announced they had made initial approaches.
The situation in Syria, long allied with Iran and Russia, remains volatile and Western nations are wary of the Al-Qaeda roots of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) that seized power in a lightning offensive.
But none wants to pass up the opportunity to forge links, given the risk of fragmentation and resurgence of Daesh, which has never been completely eradicated.
鈥淭he first reaction of the West has without a doubt been to say that they don鈥檛 meet terrorists,鈥� said Denis Bauchard, from the French Institute of International Relations.
HTS, which has its roots in Al-Qaeda, maintains it has renounced extremism yet remains proscribed as a terrorist group by several Western countries, including the United States.
鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a political reality... and clearly a race to establish contact the fastest,鈥� added Bauchard, a former ambassador.
鈥淭he main objective,鈥� he added, is that Syria does not fall into 鈥渢otal chaos.鈥�
As well as Brussels and Washington, Paris plans to send a diplomatic mission to Damascus from Tuesday, to 鈥渞etake possession鈥� of French real estate and make 鈥渋nitial contact鈥� with the new authorities.
Spain is to appoint a special envoy while the UK has announced that diplomatic contacts have been established with HTS.
鈥淓uropeans waited for the American reaction, which encouraged them to take the step,鈥� said Hasni Abidi, director of the Study and Research Center for the Arab and Mediterranean World in Geneva (CERMAM).
The approach was 鈥減ragmatic鈥� while the Syrian people welcomed the militants, he added.
鈥淚t was necessary to be among the first to show the Europeans鈥� willingness to help the Syrian people鈥� and to have 鈥渁 position of choice by offering not legitimacy but a certain respectability to HTS which has de facto authority status.鈥�
Diplomats are not hiding the difficulties, with Syria at risk of fragmentation and from extremists, the outgoing French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in Brussels Monday.
In his first comments since his flight from Damascus, Bashir Assad said on Monday that Syria was now 鈥渋n the hands of terrorists.鈥�
He also insisted he had not planned to leave when the militants took the capital and that his evacuation from the city was requested by Moscow.
Europe has several levers at its disposal, including financial reconstruction aid and the eventual lifting of sanctions to push Syria鈥檚 new authorities toward a political transition acceptable to the West.
Britain鈥檚 foreign minister David Lammy on Sunday said London had 鈥渄iplomatic contact鈥� to ensure that a 鈥渞epresentative government鈥� is established and stocks of chemical weapons secured.
Volker Perthes, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), said this weekend that it was in everyone鈥檚 interest to back a 鈥淯N-supported but Syrian-owned political process鈥� for inclusive government.