US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that the US is in direct contact with Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group as they transition from an extremist insurgency to a more legitimate governing authority. said.
“We are in contact with HTS and other stakeholders,” Blinken said after meeting with diplomats and representatives from several Arab countries in Aqaba, Jordan.
The U.S. has designated HTS as a terrorist organization, making cooperation with it legally impossible, but the latest move comes as the U.S. and its allies seek to support Syria’s transition from Assad’s rule. The contact highlights ongoing efforts to change that designation.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the US, Turkey, EU and Arab governments called for a “more hopeful, secure and peaceful future” in Syria and emphasized respect for women and minorities. , emphasized that they would prevent a “resurgence in Syria.” of all terrorist groups. ”
“The transitional political process must be Syrian-led and Syrian-owned. It must produce an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government,” the statement stressed.
There were no Syrian representatives at the meeting.
The talks reflected cautious optimism about the evolving role of HTS in governing Syria, and early signs of efforts to establish stability within the country’s many factions after 13 years of civil war. You can see it.
The U.S. government’s main concern is the return of Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria more than a decade ago. In Jordan, Blinken said he stressed the importance of finding Taïs during talks with Syria’s new party.
Mr Tais is believed to have been captured in August 2012 while reporting on the civil war near Damascus. However, while thousands of prisoners were released when HTS took control of Damascus, the whereabouts of Tais remain unknown.
Obaida al-Arnaot, the official spokesperson for Syria’s interim government, said attempts to reunite 43-year-old Tais with his family had so far been unsuccessful. President Joe Biden told reporters last week that efforts to locate him in Syria continue.
In another sign of shifting power relations, Turkey said on Sunday it had reopened its embassy in Damascus for the first time in 12 years, and schools and universities had also resumed operations in areas previously controlled by Assad’s regime. .
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler said his country was ready to provide military training to Syria “if requested by the new government.”
In comments authorized for publication on Sunday and translated by Reuters, Güler said the move came after satellite images showed Russian troops packing and dismantling military equipment at one of Syria’s main bases. He added that Turkey sees no signs of a complete Russian withdrawal.
“I don’t think the Russians will leave. They will do everything they can to stay,” he said.
Syria’s ethnic minorities are of particular concern as the transition continues. The Kurdish community, in particular, has expressed alarm at HTS, given its past ties to al-Qaeda and the uncertain future of ethnic and religious minorities under their control.
In a message to the Kurds, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharah, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, said in a statement on Saturday that the Kurds are “part of the homeland” There is “no injustice” towards them.
“The coming Syria will be Kurdish-based, where we will live together and where everyone will have rights,” he said.
The message is part of HTS’ continued efforts to project a more moderate image and distance itself from al-Qaeda’s past, even though the United States continues to view al-Qaeda as a terrorist organization. In 2018, the United States placed a $10 million bounty on Al Shara’s head.
However, US involvement in the HTS could signal a potential change in its approach, with harsh sanctions imposed on the country for decades and intensified at the start of the civil war in 2011 finally ending. There are growing expectations that the restrictions will be lifted.
UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told reporters during a visit to Damascus to meet with the new transitional government: “I hope that sanctions will end soon and that we will see full-fledged mobilization around building Syria.” ” he said.
Biden has already outlined continued U.S. involvement in Syria, but has not commented on whether the U.S. will lift or reconsider the designation.
“We will work with all parties in Syria, including within the United Nations-led process, to establish independence from the Assad regime and a transition to sovereign independence,” he said last week. “Syria with a new constitution, a new government that serves all Syrians.”
