Few expect the United States to quickly lift the group designation “terrorist” in a context of political transition next month with the arrival at the White House of Donald Trump.
The United States has established a «contact direct» with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), at the head of a coalition that seized power in Syria, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday, whose country had called “terrorist” this Islamist group. “We have been in contact with the HTS and other parties”Antony Blinken told journalists after discussions on Syria in Jordan.
He did not give further details on the circumstances of these exchanges but when asked if the United States had a direct link, he replied: «Contact direct, oui». Antony Blinken specified that this contact was notably part of efforts to locate Austin Tice, an American journalist kidnapped in 2012 at the start of the civil war in Syria.
“We have emphasized to all parties we have been in contact with the importance of finding Austin Tice and bringing him home”he clarified. HTS, led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, claims to have broken with jihadism but remains classified “terrorist” by several Western capitals, including Washington.
“Terrorist” designation
Few expect the United States to quickly lift the group designation “terrorist” in a context of political transition next month with the arrival at the White House of Donald Trump. Antony Blinken was wrapping up a regional tour that took him to Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, three countries neighboring Syria, during which he spoke about the situation in that country after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
In Aqaba, Blinken participated in discussions bringing together Arab, European and Turkish diplomats, with Turkey being one of HTS’s main supporters. He indicated that these discussions would result in a joint declaration stating: “We agreed that the transition process must be led and controlled by Syrians themselves and result in an inclusive and representative government.”
“The rights of all Syrians, including those of minorities and women, must be respected. Humanitarian aid must reach the people who need it”he added. He also said that participants in the discussions had agreed that the “state institutions” were expected to continue providing essential services.
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