Luxembourg and EU politicians applaud Assad’s fall but wary of consequences

After a rebel coup that overthrew Syria’s Bashar Assad over the weekend, political leaders in Luxembourg and the EU celebrated the end of the regime on social media and radio stations.

Syria endured nearly half a century of rule under the Assad family and a 13-year civil war that has claimed more than half a million lives. More than 13 million Syrians have been displaced by the conflict, with many moving to the EU.

“Of course the situation in Syria is one we have to keep an eye on,” Foreign Affairs Minister Xavier Bettel said in a phone interview with RTL.

“Bashar Al-Assad was and is a brutal dictator who is responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of people, who used chemical weapons against his own population and who also [created] millions of refugees from his own country,” he said.

Syria is in a “pivotal moment” of its history, with many challenges and choices on the horizon, Bettel said. Who the future leaders of the country will be is “impossible” to know now, but Bettel said he hoped for a renewal and the respect of international human rights.

Former state minister and EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker also commented on the fall of Assad.

“I am pleased Syria has taken a step towards normalcy in terms of human rights. But I am also concerned. I know that part of the world well enough to know that events do not unfold as expected,” he told radio 100,7.

Patience is required, Juncker said, because many who were on Assad’s side in the secret service, in the army and also in civilian life have not fled to Moscow. “So we will have to wait one or two years to see in what direction things evolve. But I know many Syrians who have waited for this day. And those who were not waiting for it, I wasn’t in touch with.”

Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s former foreign affairs minister, warned against hopes of a quick improvement of the situation in Syria, the Luxemburger Wort reported.

The rebels who took over, Haiat Tahrir al-Scham, “are Islamists,” he said, and the danger of Syria becoming a radical Islamist state is real.

“We must not make the same mistake now as we did in Afghanistan,” the former chief diplomat said.

“The rulers in Afghanistan also said at the beginning: don’t worry, we will take care of people’s values. That could also happen here, and we’ll have to wait and see,” he said.

Asselborn also warned against exerting pressure on Syrians who had fled to Europe during the civil war. As it is not yet known in which direction Syria will develop, the refugees should not be told that they must return soon.

“I hope that people realise what these people have been through,” he told a German broadcaster.

EU cheers online

On social media, EU leaders expressed relief about the fall of the Assad regime.

“The cruel Assad dictatorship has collapsed. This historic change in the region offers opportunities but is not without risks,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X, adding that “Europe is ready to support safeguarding national unity and rebuilding a Syrian state that protects all minorities.”

Kaja Kallas, newly appointed EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, remarked on X: “The end of Assad’s dictatorship is a positive and long-awaited development. It also shows the weakness of Assad’s backers, Russia and Iran. Our priority is to ensure security in the region. I will work with all the constructive partners, in Syria and in the region.”

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola aligned her position with Kallas’, adding: “It is dialogue, unity, respect for fundamental rights, international law that must characterise the next steps.”

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “The barbaric state has fallen. At last,” adding that “France will remain committed to the security of all in the Middle East.” On the same platform, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “Today we stand with all Syrians who are full of hope for a free, just and safe Syria. A political solution to the conflict in Syria is possible. With international partners and on the basis of the resolutions of the UN Security Council, Germany will make its contribution.”

New temporary government announced

Assad’s fall triggered movements in Syria and abroad.

Bloomberg reported that the rebel group that toppled Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad tasked Mohammed Al Bashir to form a transitional government, Syrian television reported on Monday.

Al Bashir will form a government to manage the transition period, the report said, without providing further details.

Al Bashir, a trained engineer, is the head of a quasi-government set up in 2017 by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, an Islamist group that ousted Assad’s government over the weekend. The administration was headquartered in Idlib to govern the northwestern Syrian city and other territories controlled by HTS.

The move came after a meeting between Al Bashir, HTS’s leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa and current Prime Minister Ghazi al-Jalali, according to Arabiya TV.

Meanwhile, Austria’s government suspended all ongoing asylum requests from Syrian nationals and will prepare a plan for orderly repatriations of refugees following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The Interior Ministry in Vienna said it needs to reevaluate the situation in Syria and will suspend processing of all applications for the time being, according to an emailed statement on Monday.

Additional reporting from Bloomberg.