European Union foreign ministers have agreed to begin lifting sanctions on Syria, but insist that the measures should be reimposed if they see any abuses by the country’s new rulers

"Regarding Syria, we are going to decide today to lift, to suspend, certain sanctions that had applied to the energy and transport sectors and to financial institutions that were key to the financial stabilisation of the country," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on arrival at the EU meeting in Brussels.

The EU foreign ministers have agreed on a roadmap to lift sanctions on Syria, contingent on the new leadership's commitment to peace and inclusion.

Once Syria's most influential minority, Alawites struggle to move on from their association with a hated dictator.

European Union foreign ministers on Monday agreed to begin lifting sanctions on Syria, while insisting that the measures should be reimposed if they see any abuses by the country's new rulers.

The European Union agreed on Monday to start easing sanctions on Syria in light of the ousting of President Bashar Assad in December.

The European Union's foreign ministers reached a political agreement on Jan. 27 to ease sanctions on Syria following the collapse of dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime. The move comes as opposition forces captured Damascus on Dec.

European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Monday that she hopes EU foreign ministers will be able to agree on gradually suspending the bloc's economic sanctions on Syria. Ministers are to decide on a "roadmap" for a step-by-step approach,