Scholz, Macron prepared to work with Syrian rebels after Assad ouster

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emannuel Macron are prepared to work with the Syrian rebel groups who ousted President Bashar al-Assad on certain conditions, a German government statement after a phone call between the two leaders.

The leaders of the European Union's two largest powers welcomed the departure of Assad who had caused "terrible suffering to the Syrian people and great damage to his country". The Syrian leader fled Damascus for Moscow on Sunday, ending more than 50 years of brutal rule by his family.

"(Scholz and Macron) agreed that they were prepared to work together with the new rulers on the basis of fundamental human rights and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities," according to the German government statement published late on Monday.

The statement came as governments worldwide are scrambling to forge new links with Syria's leading rebel faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group formerly allied with Al Qaeda and which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., European Union, Turkey and the U.N.

Scholz and Macron agreed to work together to strengthen EU engagement in Syria, including support for an inclusive political process in Syria, and would discuss the way forward in close coordination with partners in the Middle East, the statement read.

(Reporting by Sarah Marsh, editing by Rachel More)

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