European officials are co-ordinating their positions on how to partially lift sanctions on Syria before a meeting of foreign ministers on January 27 to set out changes in response to the overthrow of the Assad regime.

European foreign ministers will meet at the end of January to discuss the lifting of sanctions on Syria, the EU foreign policy chief said on Sunday in Riyadh ahead of a meeting of top Middle Eastern and Western diplomats and Syria's new foreign minister.

Lifting sanctions on HTS would have to be discussed at the United Nations level and coordinated with close partners, the paper said, adding that “it will depend on our joint ass