French President Emmanuel Macron urged Syria's interim government to cooperate with a U.S.-led coalition fighting against extremist groups in that region as he hosted a conference Thursday on the Mideast country's future.

PARIS - France's president urged Syria's new authorities to consider a partnership with the Iraq-based international coalition fighting Islamic State to prevent the country being destabilised in its transition period.

France, like other EU countries, has expressed a desire to engage with Syria’s new administration and lift sanctions on the country.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged Syria's new leaders to ensure "governance that is representative and respectful of all" at a Paris conference on the transition in the war-torn country after Bashar al-Assad's fall.

French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as he invited him to visit France in the coming weeks, the