Rhino: Agencies – France said on Thursday that it is premature for the European Union to discuss lifting sanctions on Syria after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad and that the bloc will first focus on defining its position on the transition process in Syria.

“We are dealing with this in an organized way, step by step,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine told reporters when asked if Paris could push for the lifting of sanctions on Syria, especially regarding the energy sector.

“We know that the sanctions regime on Syria is very harsh, but the discussions in Brussels will be particularly focused now on the Europeans’ position on the political transition. The issue of sanctions may come next.”

French officials have met with representatives of these groups, and Paris has said that a political transition in Syria must be credible and inclusive in line with the UN framework.

Western diplomats say they want to see the group’s approach to the transition before making big decisions such as sanctions, removing HTS from terrorist lists and ultimately providing financial support to Syria.