Syria updates: Germany announces €8 million in aid

The political party of Bashar Assad, Syria's Baath party, said in a statement that it would suspending work indefinitely, officially ending more than half a century of the family and party's rule.

In a statement published on the website of the party's newspaper, the Baath party central leadership announced its decision to "suspend party work and activity in all its forms... until further notice," adding that its property and funds would be handed over to the interior and finance ministries. 

Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) criticized the country's coservative parties over what they said was a "disturbing" debate on whether Syrian refugees should return home.

Development Minister Svenja Schulze, of the SPD, said it was still too early to say whether Syria is safe enough for refugees to return.

"I find the debate on this complicated issue that has been triggered by some conservative camps in recent days, that people should already be returned, somewhat disturbing," Schulze said. 

The comments come two days after Jens Spahn of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) suggested the German government should charter aircraft and offer refugees cash incentives to take the flights. 

"Only a stable Syria that respects human rights offers the prospect of people being able to return there and rebuild their homeland," Schulze said.

Sunni Islamist fighters have reportedly set fire to the mausoleum of Bashar Assad's father Hafez in the family’s hometown of Qardaha.

Hafez Assad ruled Syria with an iron fist for 30 years.

He was succeeded by his son Bashar when he died in 2000.

Germany's Foreign Ministry said that Berlin would provide an additional €8 million ($8.4 million) in humanitarian aid for Syria.

"We see a moment of hope," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, but warned that the situation was "anything but stable."

She said that the return of Syrian refugees must be coordinated with partners in Europe and with the UN.

She also called for Israel and Turkey not to "jeopardize" the formation of a new Syrian government.

"We must not allow the internal Syrian dialogue process to be torpedoed from the outside," she said. "Neighbors such as the Turkish and Israeli governments, which are asserting their security interests, must not jeopardize the process."

Israel's forces have moved into a UN-patrolled demilitarized zone established by a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria. Israel said the move was temporary and meant to secure its border following Assad's downfall.

 

 

Syria is home to a myriad of ethnic and religious groups, making it one of the most diverse countries in the Middle East.

DW takes a closer look at Syria's demographic makeup.

German author and Middle East expert Daniel Gerlach called Turkey "the most relevant player" with a stake in the outcome of the situation.

This is not only because of its enmity with Bashar Assad, but also because Ankara "supported this rebel group and basically gave them the leeway for this stunning success, even though the Turks, in my opinion, did not expect that to happen, but in the end jumped on the bandwagon and declared victory," Gerlach said.

He said that Israel's bombing campaign has "been perceived in Syria as a very hostile gesture, as an attempt to exploit a situation of power vacuum and your own interest."

As for how former Assad ally Iran will handle the defeat, Gerlach predicted that later, they will tell "everyone that that was part of their strategy that they realized they needed to pull out at the right moment. They needed to secure other interests and they can come back anytime."

Asked about Russia's lackluster military support in the weeks before Assad fled Syria, he said: "They realized that if Assad cannot defend himself, they are not going to invest anything to defend him."

 

Syria's new interim prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, is calling on Syrians who fled the country to return.

"My appeal is to all Syrians abroad: Syria is now a free country that has regained its pride and dignity. Come back!" al-Bashir told Italy's Corriere della Sera daily.

He said that the "human capital" of expatriate Syrians would help "make the country flourish."

Al-Bashir insisted that the new government will "guarantee the rights of all the people and all the sects in Syria."

Before the overthrow of Bashar Assad, al-Bashir headed the rebel-led "Salvation Government" in the northwestern city of Idlib.

The interim prime minister said that Syria was in a financially difficult situation as it lacked foreign currency reserves and the Syrian pound had undergone substantial devaluation, adding that the new government would have to work to reestablish essential services and infrastructure.

When asked whether Syria's new government would seek peace with Israel, al-Bashir terminated the interview, according to Corriere della Sera. 

In his first public remarks on Syria since the rebels took over Damascus, Pope Francis called on the country's new leaders to ensure stability.

"I hope they find political solutions that, without other conflicts or divisions, responsibly promote the stability and unity of the country," Francis said during his weekly public talk in Rome.

He called on the country's different religious groups, which includes different sects of Islam, Christians, and Druze, to "walk together in friendship and mutual respect for the good of the nation."

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, blamed the United States and Israel for the fall of ally Bashar Assad. 

"There can be no doubt that what has happened in Syria is the result of a joint American-Zionist plan," Khamenei said according to state broadcasters.

He added that the Iranian government had evidence to back up these claims.

Khamenei then said that "a neighboring government of Syria also plays a role," alluding to Turkey, an enemy of the Assad regime.

"But the main planners are the US and the Zionist regime," the 85-year-old said.

German trade union Verdi told Germany's DPA news agency that it opposed large-scale repatriations of Syrians following the fall of Bashar Assad's regime.

Verdi leader Frank Werneke said that repatriations are "against the interests of the people and, incidentally, also against the interests of the labor market, at least in parts of Germany."

He said that many Syrians "are integrated and established in the labor market here and are also important for us" and called for "approaching the situation with a cool head."

Werneke called for the German government to closely monitor the situation in Syria, adding that ethnic and religious groups should be included in the formation of a transitional government.

He stressed that there had been no free trade unions under Baathist rule.

"Therefore, I see it as our responsibility, together with the international union federations of which we are members, to help establish free unions there," he said.

On Monday, Berlin halted asylum proceedings for Syrian citizens.

Germany is home to around a million Syrians, many of whom fled the Levantine country after the start of its civil war in 2011.

Syria's economy contracted by 85% over nearly 14 years of war and parts of the country have seen widespread destruction.

The head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that govern large parts of northeastern Syria announced that they had reached a ceasefire agreement with the Turkish-backed rebels.

"We have reached a cease-fire agreement in Manbij via US mediation," SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said.

He said that fighters of the SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council "will be withdrawn from the area as soon as possible."

The SDF is led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey considers to be a terrorist organization.

The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) rebel group advanced on SDF positions in the Arab-majority Manbij area shortly after the fall of Bashar Assad's regime.

YPG fighters were key allies in the US-led mission to eliminate the "Islamic State" terror group from the area a few years ago.

Banks have reopened for the first time since Assad's overthrow in the Syrian capital, Damascus, with shops again welcoming customers and traffic returning to the roads. 

A Reuters report said cleaners were out sweeping the streets and fewer armed men could be seen in public.

The report said rebel commanders had ordered fighters to withdraw from cities, with police and internal security forces affiliated with the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS) being deployed instead.

HTS is a former affiliate of al-Qaida that led the revolt against Assad. The group has also made efforts to distance itself from its extremist roots, a move that has been cautiously welcomed by Western powers.

Refugees from Syria's 14-year civil war have started making their way home as some European countries have put asylum applications from the country on pause.

Many are returning from Turkey, which has taken in the most refugees from Syria globally, with about 3 million currently living in the country, according to UN figures.

People are heading home after a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people, with cities bombed to ruins, large parts of the countryside depopulated, the economy devastated by international sanctions and millions still living in camps.

DW correspondent Julia Hahn spoke to Syrians waiting to return home at the Turkish border crossing Cilvegözu — called Bab Al-Hawa on the Syrian side — near the Turkish town of Reyhanli.

Aladdin, a 28-year-old man on his way back to Aleppo, said his family had been in Turkey for 12 years.

"Now Syria is very beautiful, Assad is gone. Everything is good and we will go back, our home is there," he said. "Everything is there. We will go and stay there," he said.

Aladdin vowed to go back and help rebuild Syria. 

"We will do what we can to rebuild, we will stay there, for our country, and our children," he added.

Hussein, a 21-year-old man from Damascus, said he was returning to the Syrian capital to see his family, whom he hadn't seen in 14 years.

"Assad took our lands, he took our houses. Now that Assad is gone, we will take them back. Inshallah [God willing] we will see a new Syria," Hussein said.