Syria responds to Ford: There is no truth to the alleged meetings with the opposition.

The Syrian presidency denied the accuracy of the statements made by the former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, regarding holding private meetings with President Ahmed Al-Shar'a in Idlib, confirming that what was published does not reflect the reality of what happened. An official source clarified that the meetings mentioned by Ford were just part of extensive general meetings involving hundreds of delegations, dedicated to presenting the administrative and organizational experience of Idlib, without any specific or political nature. The source mentioned that Ambassador Ford was part of a delegation affiliated with a British organization for studies and research, and had no official capacity during that visit. The meetings were aimed at exchanging experiences and listening to a detailed presentation about the Idlib experience, and did not include any bilateral or closed dialogues with Al-Shar'a as claimed by Ford. On the other hand, Ford spoke during a lecture at the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs on May 5th about two private meetings he claimed to have had with Al-Shar'a in 2023, mentioning that they discussed issues related to local governance and challenges in northwest Syria. He also described Al-Shar'a as becoming more pragmatic, talking about intentions for organizing future elections and inviting Syrian-American Jews to visit Damascus, which Ford considered an indication of a change in Al-Shar'a's approach compared to his previous background. However, the Syrian source emphasized that this narrative is not related to the truth, and that the meetings took place in an open framework as part of regular visits organized by research and human rights organizations from several countries, without any special arrangements or political content.