Germany freezes Syrian asylum decisions; EU not engaging with rebel group HTS after Assad ouster
Portraits Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus
Amid Syria's civil war that resulted in the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, Germany has suspended its decisions on asylum requests from Syrians on Monday, December 9, the interior minister said.
Germany is home to Europe’s largest diaspora from the country after taking in nearly one million Syrians during 2015-16 under former chancellor Angela Merkel.
“The end of the brutal tyranny of the Syrian dictator Assad is a great relief for many people who have suffered from torture, murder and terror,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.
However, “the situation in Syria is currently very unclear,” she cautioned.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has paused the decisions for asylum procedures that are ongoing until the situation becomes clearer.
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According to the interior ministry, 974,136 Syrian nationals were living in Germany. While 5,090 of these were acknowledged as eligible for asylum, 321,444 were granted the status of refugee, and 329,242 were given subsidiary protection, a temporary stay of deportation. Tens of thousands of other cases remain pending.
EU 'not currently engaging' with Syrian rebels
The European Union said on Mondaythat it is not in contact with the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which overthrew the rule of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The EU has also urged for a peaceful political transition in the country.
Although HTS broke ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016, the group and its leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, remain under EU sanctions.
“The European Union is not currently engaging with HTS or its leaders, full stop,” EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said.
“As HTS takes on greater responsibilities, we will need to assess not just their words but also their actions.”
UK will 'quickly' decide on terror status of HTS
The UK will “quickly” decide whether to remove the Islamist group HTS from the list of terrorist organisations, Pat McFadden, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations of the United Kingdom, said on Monday, December 9.
The group is classified as a terror group in the UK and the United States.
“If the situation stabilises, there'll be a decision to make about how to deal with whatever new regime is in place there,” he told BBC Radio 4.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq and non-state actors like Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
