Italy is discussing with Damascus the lifting of sanctions in exchange for resolving refugees’ issue
Some Euro-Mediterranean countries continue their policy of normalization and openness to the Syrian government.
Syrian opposition sources reported that state officials landed in Syria and met with Syrian officials secretly and away from the media.
The most recent of these, according to Western diplomatic sources, was the visit of the head of Italian intelligence, General Gianni Carvelli, to Damascus last Tuesday.
According to the source, Carvelli put the Syrian authorities in the picture of the ongoing coordination process between a group of European countries that decided to reconsider the nature of the political and security reality in Syria, and deal realistically with the situation and the transformations taking place in a way that serves the interests of all parties equally.
According to the source, the Italian intelligence chief put Syrian officials in the picture of the meetings taking place between the countries and governments of Austria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, and Romania.
He stressed that they are conducting a reassessment that will lead to more effective ways to deal with the file of Syrian refugees trying to reach the eight countries or to the European Union countries.
According to the source, the Italian general also held in-depth discussions with Syrian officials about the possibility of establishing a safe zone in the countryside of Homs in coordination with Lebanon and Cyprus, and creating frameworks that help alleviate the refugee crisis under the auspices of the United Nations.
He stressed that there is a possibility of lifting some European and US sanctions on Damascus if humanitarian guarantees are secured that allow resolving the crisis, stressing that his country, in addition to the European countries concerned, is constantly communicating with the US administration to find joint formulas to resolve the Syrian crisis, which needs time, especially since the region is preoccupied with the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
On the other hand, the Western diplomatic source confirms that nothing has changed in the position of the major countries, specifically the US administration, France and Germany.
The recent Italian opening to Damascus, and the threat of appointing a new ambassador to Rome in the Syrian capital, falls within the framework of Italy’s confrontation with all waves of refugees coming from Syria and Libya, in light of the coordination process taking place with Libyan General Khalifa Haftar to stop human trafficking and gangs operating on the sea line.
