Macron to host Syrian leader’s first European visit

French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to Paris on Wednesday for his first visit to Europe, despite growing doubts about Syria’s ruling Islamist coalition and protests from France’s far right.

Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December following fourteen years of devastating war, the international community has been pressing the new authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network, to respect personal freedoms, protect…