U.S. has made contact with Syrian insurgent group HTS, Blinken says

America has made “direct contact” with the Syrian insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated throughout a press convention in Aqaba, Jordan on Saturday.

“We’ve been in contact with HTS and with other parties,” Blinken stated, referring to the rebels who drove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from energy in a lightning offensive earlier this month.

Blinken referred to these discussions as “direct contact.” He didn’t elaborate on particulars of the talks, however did acknowledge that the U.S. has “impressed upon everyone we’ve been in contact with” the significance of serving to to search out the lacking American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared close to Damascus 12 years in the past.

Blinken’s feedback mark the primary time a U.S. official has acknowledged contact with HTS. The Islamist group was as soon as affiliated with al-Qaida, and whereas it has sought to strike a extra average tone in recent times, the U.S. nonetheless regards it as a terrorist group — a designation given to the group in Might 2018.

Blinken, who was in Jordan assembly with leaders about Syria’s future, stated the U.S. and its companions “agreed on a set of shared principles to guide our support for Syria and its people going forward.”

The U.S. and its companions additionally agreed to a number of components, Blinken stated, together with that the transition course of within the Syrian authorities needs to be “Syrian-led and Syrian-owned,” residents ought to have entry to humanitarian support and that the nation “should not be used as a base for terrorist groups or others.”

“We know that what happens inside of Syria can have powerful consequences well beyond its borders, from mass displacement to terrorism. And we know that we can’t underestimate the challenges of this moment and in the weeks and months ahead,” he stated. “Our message to the Syrian people is this: We want them to succeed and we’re prepared to help them do so.”

Throughout an interview final week, the HTS chief, Ahmed al-Shara, previously identified by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohmmad al-Jolani, sought to allay issues about Syria’s future below HTS management.

He stated fears by different nations “are unnecessary” and was hopeful that Syria “will be rebuilt.”

“People are exhausted from war. So the country isn’t ready for another one and it’s not going to get into another one,” he advised Sky Information. “The source of our fears was from the Iranian militias, Hezbollah and the regime which committed the massacres we are seeing today. So their removal is the solution for Syria. The current situation won’t allow for a return to panic.”