The first public affirmation of interplay with HTS got here on the conclusion of Blinken’s diplomatic tour of the area sparked by the sudden downfall of Assad’s decades-long rule.
He signed off on a set of guiding rules for Syria’s transition with officers from eight Arab nations, Turkey, the European Union and the United Nations.
Under the settlement, the transition course of have to be Syrian-led and inclusive; the rights of all Syrians, together with girls, revered; humanitarian support unrestricted; Syria banned from getting used as a terrorist base; and all chemical weapons stockpiles destroyed.
“Now, nobody has any illusions about how difficult this time might be, however there’s additionally one thing extremely highly effective at work: a Syrian folks decided to interrupt with the previous and form a greater future,” Blinken mentioned.
The U.S. official additionally emphasised that serving to discover Austin Tice — an American freelance journalist who is believed to have been taken captive near Damascus in August 2012 whereas he was overlaying the nation’s civil struggle — and bringing him house might be a prime precedence.
France, in the meantime, plans to ship a group of diplomats to Syria on Tuesday to evaluate the political and safety state of affairs, Reuters reported on Sunday. “A group of French diplomats will journey to Syria this Tuesday to mark France’s willingness to assist the Syrian folks,” the overseas ministry in Paris mentioned, in response to the report.
Most EU governments have welcomed Assad’s fall however are contemplating whether or not they can work with the rebels who ousted him.
