Syria's foreign minister and his counterparts from neighboring states have called for the lifting of Western sanctions and for post-war reconciliation.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon made joint statements along with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani after their meeting in the Jordanian capital Amman.
The development comes after days of confrontation between Syrian security forces and rebels from the Alawite community supporting the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad in the country's coastal province.
Some human rights groups report that hundreds of people have died as a result of the fighting.
The United States and Europe are hesitant to lift sanctions on Syria until there is a clear political transition that is democratic and takes into account the interests of Syria's minorities and civil society.
At the same time, the country desperately needs funding to rebuild after years of war and lift millions out of poverty. According to the UN, about 90% of Syria's population lives in poverty.
“We protect all layers of the Syrian people and do not differentiate between them. We will not allow the tragedies of the Syrian people to be repeated,” Mr. Al-Shibani said.
Syria's new Islamist authorities, led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, have struggled to persuade the United States and Europe to lift sanctions to begin rebuilding the country after 13 years of war and to reconcile with the Kurds in the northeast and the Druze in the south to extend state authority across the country.
Syria's neighboring states worry that the country's economic collapse and internal conflicts could negatively impact their own stability.
“Stability in Syria requires dialogue with various groups within the country,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said at a joint press conference.
Foreign ministers criticised foreign interference in the region after Israeli forces carried out operations in southern Syria and seized a UN buffer zone separating Syria and the Golan Heights, which Israel captured and annexed in 1967.
On Sunday, Israeli commanders visited and assessed the situation in the buffer zone.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the meeting “historic” and called for cooperation to reduce tensions in Syria, and said he and others would fight sleeper cells of the Islamic State extremist group and affiliates of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party in Syria and Iraq.
“This is a regional issue. Regardless of our ideals, we all have to stand against ISIS and also the PKK, which are both terrorist organizations,” he added.
Iraq's foreign minister has warned that the number of IS sleeper cells is growing.
“We need first of all to take the initiative in exchanging views and information on the latest operations (of the Islamic State group) and especially on their expansion not only on the borders of Syria with Iraq and Jordan, but also on Syrian territory,” Mr Hussein said.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
