US In ‘Direct Contact’ With Victorious Syria Rebels

The US has made “direct contact” with the HTS rebels who now control Syria after toppling the Assad regime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

It is the first acknowledgement of direct American contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the US currently still designates as a terrorist organisation.

Blinken was speaking in Jordan after talking with representatives from several Arab countries, Turkey, and Europe to discuss the future of Syria.

Officials agreed to support a peaceful transition process in the country, with Jordan’s foreign minister saying that regional powers did not want to see it “descend into chaos.”

A joint communique called for an inclusive Syrian government that respects the rights of minorities and does not offer a base for “terrorist groups.”

The talk both inside and outside Syria after the tumultuous events of recent weeks has been of the vital importance of setting up new governance that represents all Syrians.

At the meeting in Jordan, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein expressed concern over Syria’s future shared across the Middle East and beyond.

He said regional players did not want to see another Libya – referring to the chaos that ensued after Colonel Gaddafi’s removal from power.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said existing Syrian institutions must be preserved and reformed.

“Never allow terrorism to take advantage of the transition period. And we have to coordinate our efforts and learn from the mistakes of the past,” Fidan said. Reports said.

BBC /Shakirat Sadiq