US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Saturday (Dec 14) said the United States has made “direct contact” with Syria’s victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels despite designating the group as terrorists. “We’ve been in contact with HTS and with other parties,” Blinken told reporters.
The statement came as the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and top officials from the European Union and United Nations met in Jordan to address the situation in Syria.
Turkey reopens its embassy in Damascus after 12 years
In another development, Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday after being closed for 12 years, following the recent ouster of longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. The Turkish flag was raised during the ceremony in the Rawda district of the capital, attended by Burhan Koroglu, the new chargé d’affaires, alongside members of the rebels’ transitional government, as per media reports.
The closure of the Turkish embassy on March 26, 2012, came amid Syria’s escalating civil war and Turkey’s calls for Assad to resign. However, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Friday that Koroglu and his staff would arrive in Damascus, with the embassy becoming “operational” the next day.
This development follows an Islamist-led rebel alliance’s offensive, which began on November 27, captured vast areas of Syrian territory and took over Damascus last Sunday. Turkey has been a long-standing supporter of rebel forces in Syria.
Arab diplomats discuss Syria’s future in Jordan
Meanwhile, top diplomats from eight Arab nations gathered in Jordan’s Aqaba on Saturday to discuss Syria’s future. Foreign ministers from Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, along with Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit, released a joint statement calling for a peaceful transition in Syria.
They called for all political and social groups to be included in the process, with support from the United Nations and Arab League, as outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
The Arab ministers also backed a transitional rule that aligns with the aspirations of all Syrians. They warned against any form of “ethnic, sectarian or religious discrimination” and called for “justice and equality for all citizens.”
The ministers also criticised Israel’s recent actions, including incursions into the buffer zone with Syria and airstrikes targeting military sites. They demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Syrian territory.
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