DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Saturday he had held talks “frank and direct” with Syria”s president on human rights, days after a Syrian lawyer who defended the cause of political prisoners to be tried .
France has led European movements to help Syria to emerge from diplomatic isolation, but the Syrian authorities have stepped up arrests of politicians and other pro-democracy leaders.
“Yesterday I exchanged views with President (Bashar al-) Assad on human rights. The discussion was frank and direct,” Fillon said on Saturday in the Syrian capital.
“Our dialogue with the Syrian authorities (…) allows us to open all the issues over which we have different visions,” said Fillon, who during his visit signed economic agreements and other classes.
Assad”s ruling Baath party took power in 1963, banning all opposition and imposing emergency laws still in force.
One of the main figures in prison is Mohannad al-Hassani , a lawyer for 43 years who was arrested in July last year and charged with “weakening national morale”, the same accusation against the fighting happened in his life.
FRANCE ” CAN NOT LEAVE THE HUMAN RIGHTS “
French Lawyers Hassani expressed support. Christian Bournazel, director of the Lawyers Bar in Paris, described a decision by the bar of Damascus to expel Hassani as “shameful”.
Hassani”s trial began behind closed doors on Thursday and his friends have little hope that it will be released.
Fillon said that while France had disagreements with Syria on human rights and other issues, it was important to maintain open discussions with the Government of Damascus.
“We are pleased that the U.S. has followed suit,” he said, referring to the rapprochement begun under President Barack Obama to Syria.
Syria sees Fillon”s visit as another nail in the coffin in Western attempts to isolate Damascus, but a Western diplomat in the Syrian capital said the French concerns for human rights will not disappear.
“The French can not leave the matter,” he said.
Syria was shunned, mostly by Western nations, after the assassination in 2005 of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri .
A UN investigation implicated Syrian security officials in the killing, but Damascus denies involvement.
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