EU says will lift sanctions on Syria when minorities are protected

The European Union’s new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says Brussels will not lift sanctions on Syria unless the country’s new rulers prove to the world that minorities are not persecuted and women's rights will be protected.

Kallas told reporters on Sunday that an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday would not discuss expanding financial support to Syria.

The EU has in place a tough sanctions regime against Syria. The armed opposition group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), that led the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has also been under sanctions for years.

She said, "One of the questions is whether we are able to, in the future, look at the adaptation of the sanctions regime. But this clearly is not the question of today, but rather in the future where we have seen that the steps go in the right direction.”

90,000 Syrians fled to Lebanon since resurgence of armed militants: Report

Lebanese media say some 90,000 Syrian citizens have fled to the Arab country since the resurgence of armed foreign-backed militants that led to the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria.

Syria’s new interim leaders, she said, had made "positive signals" but these were not enough.

"They are judged by the deeds, not only the words. So the coming weeks and months will show whether their deeds are going in the right direction.”

The EU’s top diplomat said that the country’s new rulers have to ensure minorities are not persecuted and women's rights are protected within a unified government.

Thousands of people have fled to Lebanon since the resurgence of armed militant groups in Syria earlier this month. The majority of those who fled Syria are reportedly from sectarian minorities who were residing in areas controlled by the Assad government.

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