Syria’s interior minister, Anas Khattab, met a delegation from the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria in Damascus on Monday, as the United Nations urged the country’s transitional authorities to ensure due process in the prosecution of former regime figures and suspects accused of major wartime crimes.
The UN delegation was led by Claudio Cordone, the deputy special envoy for Syria, and included Tarek Talahma, director of the envoy’s office, and Ranin Makhoul, an assistant in the political affairs section. The meeting, held at the Interior Ministry, was also attended by Brigadier General Ziad al-Ayesh, the assistant minister for civil affairs, and Colonel Abdul Rahim Jabara, director of international cooperation.
According to a statement by the Interior Ministry, the talks focused on recent security developments in Syria. Khattab briefed the UN delegation on the government’s efforts to consolidate stability, particularly in north-eastern Syria, with an emphasis on the process of integration and the measures being taken in that regard.
The meeting came as Damascus began the first hearings in one of the most politically significant legal proceedings since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. The trial includes former president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad, both being tried in absentia, alongside former intelligence officer Atef Najib, who appeared in court in person.
Cordone described the trial of Atef Najib, Bashar al-Assad, and others as a “critical moment for accountability,” linking it to the recent arrest of Amjad Youssef, the former intelligence officer accused of carrying out the Tadamon massacre. In a post on X, he said legal procedures from arrest to verdict are essential for justice, adding that any confession must be presented in court and that survivors deserve both justice and the full truth.
In a separate post after meeting Khattab, Cordone said he had held a “good discussion” on security issues and the protection of Syria from conflict. He added that he had stressed the importance of legal procedures in arrests and of supporting Syria’s transitional justice process.
The first court session ended with the next hearing scheduled for Sunday, 10 May, when proceedings are expected to continue.
Monday’s meeting forms part of continuing contacts between Syria’s transitional government and the United Nations over security, stabilisation, and judicial accountability. It also follows a meeting on 21 April between Khattab and a European Union diplomatic delegation led by Michael Ohnmacht, the acting head of the EU delegation to Syria, accompanied by political adviser Torkild Byg.
That earlier meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation and developing coordination mechanisms on priority security issues. Discussions included support for security-sector reform, the development of civilian policing, police training programmes, and border management and protection, in line with the needs of Syria’s transitional period and efforts to reinforce stability and the rule of law.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
