France: Any normalization with the regime must be accompanied by a political process in Syria

ARK News… French President Emmanuel Macron, on Monday, August 28, 2023, announced that he would attend the upcoming Baghdad conference on security in the Middle East, and called on the countries normalizing the Syrian regime to stipulate that it implement a political solution, including allowing the return of refugees and prosecuting terrorist organizations before integrating it into regional bodies.

In a speech to diplomats in Paris, Macron said, "The next regional security conference will be held in Baghdad at the end of next November, to which I will go as usual and which makes it possible precisely to unify the regional agenda in support of Iraqi sovereignty."

He added, "We will focus in our participation on two very specific topics. The first is Syria. In fact, we can clearly see that all countries in the region are trying to resume contacts with the Syrian regime to reintegrate it into regional bodies, and the main element in this regard is combating terrorism."

He also added, "I have previously spoken with Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and others, that any reintegration of the Syrian regime into regional bodies must be matched by increased cooperation in the war against terrorist organizations and groups on Syrian territory and in the region and to remove any ambiguity, and it must also be Accompanied by a political process that allows the return of refugees with guarantees of protection, recognition, and economic and political security on Syrian territory.

333