US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Saturday that the White House had contacted the Islamist HTS militia in Syria. There was also contact with other parties (see video above). The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militia captured Damascus last Sunday and overthrew ruler Assad.
This concerns a Syrian branch of the terrorist network Al Qaeda, which according to its own statements has had no ties with Al Qaeda since 2016. The leader Mohamed al-Jalai presents himself as a moderate. “We have been in contact with the HTS and other parties,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Jordan on Saturday. He would not say how the contact came about. The White House and the governments of other Western countries classify the militia as a terrorist organization.
The foreign ministers of several Arab states are currently in Jordan to discuss a peaceful transition in Syria. “All political and social forces must be represented” in this process, said a statement from the ministers of Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar on Saturday.
The United Nations should support this
Moreover, the foreign ministers said that the political process should be supported by the United Nations and the Arab League. The principles of a UN Security Council resolution must be respected. This states that a constitution must be drawn up and that elections must be held under the supervision of the United Nations. State institutions must be preserved so that the country does not “descend into chaos,” the report said.
The Arab chief diplomats warned against “ethnic, sectarian or religious discrimination” and called for “justice and equality” for all people in Syria.
In addition to the Arab ministers, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, EU Foreign Affairs Representative Kaja Kallas and UN Special Representative for Syria Geir Pedersen are also in Aqaba for consultations.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
