Did Ahmed Attaf convince the new Syrian authorities to maintain ties with the Polisario ? Judging by the cold reception given to the Algerian foreign minister in Damascus, this objective seems difficult to achieve. Four days following King Mohammed VI's congratulatory message to Syria's transitional president, Ahmed Al-Charaa, Algeria sent its Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, to Damascus. This visit marks a significant shift, as Algeria had labeled Al-Charaa a terrorist just three months ago. The Algerian Foreign Ministry stated that the meeting between Al-Charaa and Attaf «allowed both parties to examine the prospects for strengthening the relations of fraternity, solidarity, and cooperation between the two brotherly countries and peoples, in light of the deep-rooted historical ties that unite them». Algeria expressed its willingness to «contribute, both bilaterally and in its capacity as an Arab member of the United Nations Security Council, to support and accompany the efforts aimed at bringing together the Syrian people around a unifying national project allowing for the reconstruction of state institutions and ensuring security, stability, development, and prosperity». Despite this diplomatic gesture, the Syrian media treated the visit with noticeable indifference. The Syrian news agency SABA briefly reported, «President Al-Charaa and Minister Al-Shaibani received a high-level Algerian delegation led by Ahmed Attaf, Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs», accompanied by a short text and three photos. Avoiding the Libyan Scenario The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered minimal coverage of Attaf's visit, releasing only a brief statement and four photos on the X platform, with no mention on its website or Facebook page. This contrasts with the attention given to a recent telephone exchange with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. Algeria's engagement with Syria's new leadership appears driven by concerns over maintaining Syria's recognition of the «Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)», a stance established by Hafez Al-Assad's regime in 1980. Algeria fears a repeat of the Libyan scenario, where post-Gaddafi leadership severed ties with the Polisario after the separatist group supported Gaddafi's forces. A similar shift seems possible in Syria. The fate of Polisario fighters detained by Damascus's new authorities is a priority for the Algerian foreign minister. As previously reported by Yabiladi, the Polisario, with Algeria's endorsement, had dispatched fighters to support Bashar Al-Assad's regime against the groups now in power in Damascus.
