An ungainly scene with out atypical greetings was anticipated, the overseas minister has mentioned
The refusal of Syria’s de facto chief to shake fingers with German Overseas Minister Annalena Baerbock was anticipated, she has mentioned, commenting on the controversy.
Baerbock and her French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, made a shock go to to Syria on Friday, assembly the nation’s de facto chief, the top of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, finest identified by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani.
The assembly began off with an ungainly scene when al-Sharaa provided a handshake to Barrot however explicitly averted shaking fingers with Baerbock, inserting his proper hand on his coronary heart as a substitute. The brand new Syrian chief is understood for refusing to shake fingers with girls as a consequence of his hardline Islamist views. The French overseas minister virtually managed to dodge al-Sharaa’s hand, whereas Baerbock appeared to initially attain for the brand new Syrian chief, clapping her fingers within the air as a substitute.
“As I traveled right here, it was clear to me that there would clearly be no atypical handshakes,” Baerbock advised German media late Friday.
“Nevertheless it was additionally clear… that not solely I, but in addition the French overseas minister, didn’t share this view. And accordingly, the French overseas minister didn’t prolong his fingers,” she mentioned.
Throughout the assembly with al-Sharaa, the 2 ministers raised the difficulty of girls’s rights within the nation, receiving acknowledgement “from the brand new Syrian authorities that there will probably be broad participation – notably by girls – within the political transition,” Barrot mentioned in a put up on X.
Militant teams spearheaded by HTS jihadists launched a shock offensive towards the federal government of now-former President Bashar Assad in November final 12 months. The assault resulted within the collapse of the Syrian army in a matter of days and the downfall of Assad’s authorities.
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