Germany, France conditionally ready to ‘cooperate’ with new Syria leaders: Berlin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday discussed the possibility of cooperating with Syria’s new leaders following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, the chancellery said.

“Both agreed that they were ready to cooperate with the new leadership on the basis of fundamental human rights and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities,” Berlin said in a statement.

They reiterated “the importance of preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

The two leaders agreed to work together to strengthen the European Union’s commitment to Syria, particularly by supporting an “inclusive political processes” in Syria in coordination with Middle East partners, Berlin said.

Al-Assad was tossed from power on Sunday by a lightning offensive by the “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS) group, which has roots in the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda but has sought to moderate its image.

Western officials have welcomed the end of al-Assad’s lengthy rule, but fear further unrest along the lines of what happened in Libya after the overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi.