The French delegation led by the special envoy for Syria, Jean-François Guillaume, arrived in Damascus on December 17 and visited the embassy buildings, which have been closed since 2012, AFP reported Guillaume. The French delegation stated that it intends to "communicate with the de facto authorities of Syria".
It was reported earlier that Paris is sending four diplomats to Damascus. According to the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Jean-Noel Barro, the goal of the diplomats will be to return France's influence in Syria, establish preliminary contacts with the new authorities" and "assess the humanitarian needs of the population".
Earlier, Paris welcomed the seizure of power in Syria by the opposition. Baro stated that France will support the Syrian opposition in the process of "political transition" "only if the interests of all representatives of the Syrian society are taken into account". Since the end of November, anti-government forces of Syria have captured several major cities of the country.
On December 8, opposition representatives entered Damascus and announced on state television that they had established control over the country. The country's president, Bashar al-Assad, received asylum in Moscow. The transitional government of Syria is headed by Mohammed al-Bashir.
