In the National Assembly, a voice is being raised forcefully against France's foreign policy in Syria. As revealed by our colleagues from Figaro (link here), Christelle D'Intorni, MP for Alpes-Maritimes and member of the UDR group, openly accuses French diplomacy of "culpable failures" of French diplomacy in Syria, whether it concerns the Bashar al-Assad era or the new regime led by al-Joulani. Determined to shed light on the excesses, Christelle D'Intorni is preparing to submit a motion for a resolution aimed at establishing a parliamentary commission of inquiry.
In the explanatory memorandum, it deplores in particular a "betrayal of French diplomatic values" and points a a revealing symbol of these excesses: the promotion, in 2017, of the official photographer of the el-Assad regime, Ammar Abd Rabbo, made a knight of the Order of Arts and Letters: a decision that she considers unacceptable, as it contributes to legitimize an authoritarian power. Her goal is clear: for the upcoming hearings to reveal the true nature of France's ties with the Syrian regime. According to her, "It is time to take responsibility to prevent yesterday's mistakes from happening again."
For several years, Christelle d'Intorni has been particularly concerned about the fate of the Christian communities in Syria, whose presence continues to dwindle: one million faithful in 2001, barely 200 today. The MP vigorously criticizes the strategy deployed by Emmanuel Macron and his diplomatic entourage. She castigates their indifference in the face of the multiple warnings issued, among others, by LR Senator Roger Karoutchi, MEP Marion Maréchal, and former Prime Minister François Fillon, who declared: "We cannot maintain diplomatic relations with a regime while turning a blind eye to what could become an enterprise of extermination of minorities."
According to the MP, France's diplomatic ambiguities and compromises with Syria are no longer acceptable. The withdrawal of the decoration of photographer Amma abd Rabbo, who actively participated in the propaganda of dictator Bashar al-Assad during his years of terror, is therefore an obligatory passage without which France would have no credibility in condemning the horrors and massacres committed in Syria during the dictatorship... This is also one of the main subjects that the parliamentary commission of inquiry will examine.
The ambiguities of French diplomacy in Syria must end
Beyond the case Ammar Abd-Rabbo, a disastrous symbol of the ambiguity of French diplomacy with the Syrian dictatorship, the announcement of several billion euros of aid to Syria continues to cause teeth to grind in the corridors of the European Parliament and the National Assembly. The MEP Christophe Gomart, former head of French military intelligence, denounces, as Christelle D'Intorni, unacceptable compromises.
At the root of this distrust lies a stark observation: three months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, chaos persists, and massacres targeting Alawites have cast a pall over the country's supposed "liberation." The new regime, led by Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, alias Abu Mohammed al-Joulani—a former warlord with ties to al-Qaeda—raises more suspicion than hope.
As reported by our colleagues from Figaro, for Christophe Gomart, behind the promises of reconstruction lies the risk of fueling a regime that dreams of establishing sharia law on a national scale. "This president was an enemy of France. He remains a terrorist. You can't rebuild a country with billions without serious guarantees.", he warns. He warns of the 5,8 billion euros announced by Brussels, a check which could well, according to him, turn into an involuntary subsidy for radical Islamism.
On December 8, 2024, Emmanuel Macron declared: "The barbaric state has fallen. Finally." It is now time for the ambiguities of French diplomacy in Syria to finally fall away, whether with the old or the new regime. The withdrawal of the decoration of Ammar Abd-Rabbo, a former accomplice in Bashar al-Assad's propaganda, as well as the control of the sums sent to the new regime would be an excellent start...
