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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Top US and French officials are set to discuss the latest developments in Syria with the Syrian foreign minister in Paris on Friday, a French diplomatic source told Rudaw.
'The US Special Envoy [for Syria] Thomas Barrack is in Paris today and tomorrow. The [French Foreign] Minister [Jean-Noel Barrot] will meet with him and Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister Asaad al-Shaibani tomorrow to discuss the latest developments in Syria,' the diplomatic source said in response to an email.
The source skipped a question about reports saying that Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which rules northeast Syria (Rojava), is set to meet with Syrian interim officials in Paris for talks over the landmark March 10 agreement between Abdi and Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The French, American and Syrian officials will likely discuss the latest sectarian violence in the Druze-majority province of Suwayda in southern Syria, which has killed at least 1,300 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The conflict between Druze fighters and pro-Damascus Sunni tribal forces has heightened regional tensions, particularly between Syria's allies and Israel. Tel Aviv intervened in the fighting in support of the Druze after Syrian government forces were accused of backing the tribal fighters.
Harrowing footage of mass killings in Suwayda has triggered international condemnations.
The US and European countries have lifted some sanctions on Syria but have emphasized the need for an inclusive government in Damascus. However, the ongoing violence casts uncertainty over the future of this sanctions relief.
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