"Now, Mustafa [his father] and
Tlass's sister, Nahed Ojjeh, are living in Paris, where Ms. Ojjeh is a prominent
socialite who once dated a former French foreign minister.
"France has a longstanding relationship with the
Tlass family, going back to the 1980s. Manaf’s sister … throws lavish dinner
parties and infiltrated the French political and media elites,” says Mr. Bitar.
“When she became the mistress of a foreign minister, there was a national
security risk for France, but the president then chose to turn a blind eye
because he felt there was need for backchannel diplomacy between France and the
Assad regime."
"Given these old ties, France today
might be thinking of grooming Manaf Tlass and counting on him to play an
important role in the post-Assad transition phase.""