UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – “If you are the emerging group in Syria, if you do not want this isolation, there are certain things you must do to move the country forward,” declared the head of American diplomacy.
The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken warns HTC, while Turkey denies any ceasefire agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Le Figaro takes stock of the situation in Syria this Thursday, December 19.
Shine with en garde HTC
The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken on Wednesday called on the radical Islamists of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC) group leading the coalition which seized power in Syria to keep their promises of moderation if they want to avoid isolation imposed on the Afghan Taliban.
“The Taliban showed a more moderate face, or at least tried to, when they took control of Afghanistan, and then their true face appeared. The result is that they remain largely isolated around the world.declared Blinken during a speech at the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations think tank in New York.
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“If you are the emerging group in Syria, if you don’t want this isolation, there are certain things you need to do to move the country forward”he added. The coalition seized power on December 8, ending the civil war sparked in 2011 by the repression of pro-democracy demonstrations, which left half a million dead and pushed six million Syrians into exile.
HTC claims to have broken with jihadism
HTC’s military chief, Mourhaf Abu Qasra, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, called on the UN, the United States and relevant European countries to remove HTC from their lists of terrorist organizations. Coming from the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, HTC claims to have broken with jihadism.
Blinken called for the formation of a Syrian government “non-sectarian” which protects minorities and continues the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group as well as the elimination of persistent stockpiles of chemical weapons. According to Blinken, HTC can also learn lessons from the fall of Bashar al-Assad, emphasizing the need to reach a political settlement: “Assad’s categorical refusal to engage in any political process is one of the elements that sealed his downfall”he noted.
The Taliban returned to power in 2021, shortly after the withdrawal of American troops. After some overtures towards the West, the Taliban government reimposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law, notably increasing restrictive measures against women.
Turkish army says it will continue preparations until Kurdish fighters ‘lay down their arms’
Turkish army “will continue” its preparations on the Turkish-Syrian border until the Kurdish fighters from northern Syria “lay down their arms”the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
“The threat against our borders (…) persists. Our preparations and measures in our fight against terrorism will continue until the terrorist organization PKK /YPG lays down its arms and its foreign fighters leave Syria”a ministry spokesperson, Zeki Akturk, told the Turkish press.
No ceasefire agreement between Turkey and the SDF
According to reports by Reuters, there is no ceasefire agreement between Turkey and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria, contrary to earlier reports. ‘announced the United States on this subject, a Turkish Defense Ministry official said Thursday.
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Turkey believes Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) forces will ” release “ areas occupied by the Kurdish PKK/YPG militia in northern Syria, the official also said.
