Here persona non grata on the international scene, Abu Mouhammad al-Jolani, leader of the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is now asked by many states to consider the future of Syria.
The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, met him this Sunday, which clearly proves the acceleration of events. They discussed “changes occurring on the political scene, which make it necessary to update” UN Security Council Resolution 2254, according to the same source. This resolution adopted in 2015 establishes a road map for a political settlement in Syria.
“We must ensure that Syria receives increased immediate humanitarian assistance for the population and for all refugees who wish to return,” Pedersen, whose visit is the first by a senior official, said earlier in the day. of the UN since Assad's flight to Russia.
HTS deemed terrorist by the United States and the United Kingdom
The HTS organization, the former Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, claims to have broken with jihadism but remains classified as “terrorist” by several Western capitals, including Washington.
Several countries and organizations had welcomed the fall of Assad, but said they were waiting to see how the new authorities, Sunni Muslims, would treat the minorities of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. In the meantime, several have announced that they have established contact with them.
After Washington on Saturday, the United Kingdom announced on Sunday that it had established “diplomatic contacts” with HTS. HTS “remains a banned terrorist organization (in the UK), but we can have diplomatic contacts,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
France, Türkiye, Qatar… Meetings to come this week
For its part, France announced the sending of a diplomatic mission to Damascus on Tuesday, the first in twelve years, to “establish initial contacts” with the new authorities.
Doha announced the reopening of its embassy in Syria on Tuesday after the arrival on Sunday of a Qatari delegation in the country where it met the new authorities.
Turkey, a major player in the conflict in Syria and support of the new authorities, had already reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday after more than 12 years of closure.
The new Prime Minister in charge of the transition, Mohammad al-Bashir, has promised to “guarantee the rights of all” as Syrians try to resume their normal lives.
The new Syrian power says it wants to respect international organizations
Neighboring Syria, Turkey has said it is “ready” to provide military aid if the new Syrian government requests it, according to its Defense Minister, Yasar Güler.
He further affirmed that the new authorities had pledged to “respect all government institutions, the UN and other international organizations”, and promised to report any traces of chemical weapons to the Organization for the Prohibition of chemical weapons.
Another neighbor of Syria, Israel, approved on Sunday a project aimed at doubling the population in the annexed part of the Syrian Golan, but says it has no interest in entering into conflict with Syria, after taking control of the monitored buffer zone by the UN separating the two countries on the Golan Heights.
