Syria summit: Refugees in France receive approval to return home temporarily

Syrian refugees in France have received assurances from the country's authorities that they can return to their homeland for a short visit without losing their refugee status.

Thaer Al Tahli, 37, from Homs, expects to be among the first Syrians to receive authorisation from the French government, which guarantees he can return to France. He is set to be in Syria from February 25 to March 5. "I have family there. I have sisters. I want to see them," Mr Al Tahli, who has not seen his relatives since 2012, told The National.

He fled the country and travelled to Jordan, then France, a year after anti-government protests in 2011 led to civil war. Mr Al Tahli was a journalist and said his life was at risk – he received threats from former president Bashar Al Assad's regime, as well as from extremist groups including ISIS.

More than six million Syrians left the country during the civil war. The new Syrian government led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which led the assault that toppled the Assad regime on December 8, has called on citizens to return to help rebuild Syria. About 200,000 are believed to have returned through Lebanon and Turkey.

Lingering insecurity

While many Syrian refugees in Europe want to go back to their homeland, they are unsure whether the country will remain stable enough for them to build a long-term future there. "I don’t think I’ll come back to live in Syria in the near future," Mr Al Tahli said. "Until now, when I write something on Facebook, I get a lot of threats from people who are in Syria, in my city."

Since the fall of the former regime, revenge killings have been reported in Homs.

It is believed that only a small number of Syrians living in France have received approval to return, with many fearful of losing their refugee status. France has granted protection to 30,000 Syrians since 2011. Asylum is normally withdrawn from those who go back because, in the eyes of the French state, that person no longer requires its protection.

In a statement to The National, the Interior Ministry said refugees in France were allowed to visit their countries of origin on an exceptional basis on humanitarian grounds. "The new context in Syria may justify the inclusion in these humanitarian reasons of the need to make an 'exploratory' return to the country, for example to re-establish contact with family members or to check the condition of property left behind," the ministry said in an email. "In this case, these trips are made under the cover of a safe conduct issued specifically for the trip and valid for a maximum of three months."

France is ready to make an exception for Syrians, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday. Speaking to Syria TV before a ministerial conference in support of Syria in Paris, Mr Barrot said: "You have to remember that when a person receives international protection in France, the principle is that you are not allowed to go back to your home country or you lose refugee status. But in the case of Syrians, it's different."

"A lot of those refugees currently live in France and European countries want to go back, and the younger generation will learn about their country for the first time," Mr Barrot added. He said that was why France decided Syrian refugees should be given permission "to visit Syria without losing their refugee status and international protection from France".

Existential dilemma

Syrian civil society, writers and researchers, with the help of French lawyers, have been campaigning for authorisation to return since December. They expressed alarm after the French refugee protection agency, Ofpra, said it suspended pending asylum requests after rebels took control of Damascus.

Lawyer Romain Ruiz, who was involved in the campaign to enable temporary returns for Syrians, told The National that he feared the French government may suddenly revoke refugee rights to those who visit Syria. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, known for his tough anti-immigration stance, was among those who pushed to suspend asylum claims, days after the fall of the Assad regime.

"There are armed groups still operating in Syria that have caused alarm bells to ring among security services in France," Mr Ruiz said. "There are fears that returning refugees may come under intense scrutiny after their return, if they are considered to have visited high-risk areas."

To obtain authorisation to return to Syria for a short visit, Mr Al Tahli said he had to sign a sworn statement that he would not ask for help from France if he encountered problems. Mr Ruiz suggested the French government was sending mixed signals. "It's incompatible with the argument that says, 'It's fine, go home,'" he said.