Latest news with #Syrians.
Al Etihad
05-07-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
UK resets ties with Syria as foreign minister visits Damascus
5 July 2025 20:29 LONDON (REUTERS)Britain said on Saturday it was reestablishing diplomatic relations with Syria after the country's years-long civil war, as foreign minister David Lammy visited its capital Damascus, pledging 94.5 million pounds ($129 million) in support."There is renewed hope for the Syrian people," Lammy said in a statement. "It is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians."Western nations have been resetting their approach to Syria since Bashar al-Assad was ousted as president in December following more than 13 years of visit, the first by a British minister in 14 years, comes days after United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions program on Syria, ending its isolation from the international financial system and helping it rebuild after the also eased its sanctions in April, unfreezing the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities, including banks and oil companies to encourage investments, though it kept in place those targeting members of the former financial support package announced on Saturday will provide urgent humanitarian aid to Syria and support the country's longer-term recovery through developing areas such as education, the government statement said.A stable Syria will reduce the risk of "irregular migration", ensure chemical weapons are destroyed, and tackle the threat of terrorism, Lammy said, after he met with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Lammy is also due to travel to Kuwait, where regional security and strengthening bilateral relations will be top of the agenda.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
'We will rescue anyone': Syria's White Helmets step in after deadly attacks
When violence broke out in Syria's coastal area recently, including mass killings of civilians allegedly carried out as revenge for attacks on Syrian security forces, volunteer rescuers quickly came to were part of the Syrian civil defence group known as the White Helmets, which had operated in rebel-held areas during the civil the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, the White Helmets arrived in Syria's capital, Damascus, welcomed as heroes by those who had supported the then, they have started operating in more areas of the war-ravaged of those killed in the recent attacks, which occurred over a period of days earlier this month, were Alawites - an offshoot of Shia Islam, and Assad's minority Kayal, head of operations for the White Helmets in Syria's coastal region, told the BBC that the group's work transcended politics: "When we go to rescue someone in need, we don't ask them about their religion or political opinion... Our mandate is to help those in need". Throughout the civil war, Assad had branded the White Helmets a terrorist group, alleging it worked for armed rebels. But the group always said it was a neutral, humanitarian organisation and has been praised around the world for its work."We are Syrians, and we can't separate our care for one area more than the others," Mr Kayal said. "It is our homeland, and we consider ourselves as an umbrella to serve all Syrians."The recent outburst of violence was the worst in Syria since interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa led the lightning rebel offensive that overthrew Assad. Tensions had been brewing since December, when supporters of Assad killed 14 interior ministry troops in an ambush, two weeks after the former president was overthrown. In early March, fighting broke out between security forces and fighters loyal to the previous regime, with dozens reportedly killed on both security forces were then accused of carrying out revenge killings of Alawites in the coastal province of Latakia - the sect's British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, has since said more than 1,400 civilians were killed in Latakia and its neighbouring provinces Tartous, Hama and News has not been able to verify whether the killings were committed by the forces of Syria's new White Helmets, responding to such incidents, said they were conducting around 30 response calls a day at the height of the attacks - including the retrieval of more than 100 bodies. "We are here to serve everyone without any differentiation," Mr Kayal said."Our slogan is 'To Save one life is to save all of the humanity'. It doesn't matter if it is a Muslim, Sunni, Alawite, Christian, Druze or even an atheist. Those families are our families."Last week, BBC News joined the White Helmets as volunteers got to work in Tartous following reports of a massacre in the village of team retrieved 10 bodies of government fighters, which all appeared to have been thrown from a hillside into a valley. Their hands and legs were tied, suggesting they had been caught by the opposing a state security officer who was at the scene, accused Assad loyalists of being responsible for the deaths of hundreds of his colleagues. BBC News could not independently verify this claim."When Syria was liberated from the Assad regime, we tried hard to keep everything under control, to unite Syria, with all its governorates and components, to rebuild a new Syria that we want to be proud of in the Middle East," he he added that this had been difficult, because "when we took control of the country, we had a personal problem with the [anti-Assad] militia because the majority of them were victims of chemical attacks, bombs, massacres and many crimes that caused a devastating psychological impact on them".Images and video online appear to show soldiers killing civilians, including children, in the coastal areas where the Alawite killings took man, Maen, told BBC News his son and aunt had been killed by security forces. He buried them in his courtyard so they could remain close."We suffered under Assad and now we are prosecuted under this new government," he wife wept as she looked at her son's photo. "What did he do?" she asked. "He was 20 years old and did nothing to harm anyone."Al-Sharaa, Syria's interim president, has set up an independent committee to investigate the killings and has insisted the perpetrators would be held if his government wants to prevent a new civil war, many feel it must prove it can protect the Alawites and ensure the rights of all citizens in the new Syria.
