The entrance to the Syrian embassy in London remains littered with cardboard boxes, almost a month after Foreign Secretary David Lammy declared the UK had re-established diplomatic relations in Damascus.
Moisture drips over the cracked paint above the door and a plant left in the window of the first floor when the building in Belgrave Square was abandoned in 2012 has long since dried out.
Frustration is rising with the UK's cautious approach to the new transitional government in Damascus. Mr Lammy made his first official visit to the capital this month to meet the country's President Ahmad Al Shara.
The restoration of formal diplomatic relations this summer has not yet borne fruit in Belgrave Square. Weeks later an exchange of ambassadors has not happened.
Syrian architect
Observers warn London wavers between wanting to influence that transition and keeping the Syrians at arm's length. The UK government continues to rely on its Special Representative to Syria, Ann Snow, who was the first western diplomat to visit Syria after the fall of Bashar Al Assad in December.
The UK set the tone for removing sanctions on Syria in March – paving the way for similar moves by the European Union and later the US.
But it delayed official visits for much longer than European counterparts, with French President Emmanuel Macron hosting Mr Al Shara in Paris in May.
“They started quicker than others but then it slowed down,” said Dr Haid Haid, a fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programme.
“The relationship did not improve in the same way as it did with other countries. You did not see Foreign Minister Assad Al Shaibani visiting London when he visited Europe earlier this year.”
It is understood that the delays were due in part to logistics, as the embassy residence in Damascus, which was abandoned in 2012, needs to be repaired. The mission then operated out of the embassy in Beirut.
But there have also been doubts linked to the dynamics on the ground, such as the sectarian fighting that erupted in March, resulting in the massacre of hundreds of Alawites – members of a religious community who fought alongside the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war – and again this month with the Druze of Sweida.
Many Syrians credit Ms Snow for having persuaded UK ministers to remove the sanctions earlier this year.
She is thought to have forged relationships with “all the relevant people” in Damascus, her frequent visits ensuring the diplomatic relationship runs smoothly.
Ms Snow oversaw the UK's humanitarian aid and education programmes in north-west Syria until Mr Al Assad was ousted. When she was appointed to the role in 2023, the region was controlled by opposition and armed groups, including Mr Al Shara’s now disbanded Hayat Tahrir Al Sham.
She is also active in meeting Syrian communities in London, members of which have been called in to support and advise the new administration and its institutions.
Risk takers
John Jenkins, a former British ambassador to Damascus, believes a period of “long consultations” with UK allies would have contributed to the delays in restoring relations.
“We would have had to consult with the Americans and with the Israelis, who are risk averse on Syria,” he said.
The Israelis may have felt they “can’t certify” Mr Al Shara, fearing that though he may be taking steps at inclusivity, he may not be able to curtail the more hardline elements within his government, Mr Jenkins added.
Questions remain about who could serve as the channel for communication between the UK government and Mr Al Shaibani, as Damascus seeks to re-establish its embassy in London.
Dr Haid said the meeting between Mr Lammy and Mr Al Shara last week included a call to reopen the embassies on both sides – though a date for this has not been set.
But there are concerns that the UK government has become too reliant on back-channel diplomacy.
The negotiations with the transitional administration are believed to have been conducted by Inter Mediate, a UK-based conflict mediation charity which first established contact with Mr Al Shara in 2015.
It’s founder and former chief executive Jonathan Powell resigned from the group in November when he was appointed Britain's National Security Adviser.
The National previously reported he had met Mr Al Shaibani’s delegation at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, in an unofficial capacity.
Though Inter Mediate is often praised by sources for their work in Damascus, its under-the-radar nature has also been criticised by UK MPs, who say it allows the government to bypass scrutiny. One Conservative shadow spokesman has raised fears the government is covering up the precise nature of Inter Mediate's work in Syria.
“When asked what meetings Inter Mediate has had with the Foreign Office in the last year, ministers have refused to comment on 'private discussions' on its role in Syria,” wrote Conservative MP Alex Burghart in a parliamentary letter.
“This approach is contrary to the expectation of transparency,” he said in a letter to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, seen by The National.
Help needed
But for British-Syrians seeking to support their country back home, the absence of diplomatic missions on both sides is a major obstacle.
The Syrian embassy building in Belgrave Square has been empty since 2012, with no signs of repair to this day. Syria's former flag has been removed.
London-based architect Ranim Alwair, who fled Homs in 2012, said a Syrian embassy reopening in London was “really essential”.
Since Al Assad’s downfall, she and her sister – a paediatric pharmacist at a major London hospital – have attempted to have their UK qualifications certified in Syria so that they can one day return and work there.
But their efforts have been costly, as they were forced to send their documents for certification to the Syrian embassy in Paris. “In the end, we lost them.”
Ms Alwair has been advising Syrian government officials on the best ways to integrate AI into their public administration and on domestic upskilling.
She is disappointed that no announcement was made with regards to reopening the Syrian embassy in London after Mr Lammy’s visit.
The presence of a diplomatic and consular team at a British embassy in Damascus would amount to vital reassurance in case anything goes wrong when they return as British citizens ready to help Syria rebuild.
The fledgling government has struggled to bring to a close an outbreak of violence in the southern city of Sweida that has pitted the local majority Druze population against Bedouin tribes and forces loyal to the leadership in Damascus.
“I would have expected an announcement, it’s really essential,” Ms Alwair said.
