The United States had “direct contact” with the Syrian rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which led the attack that toppled the government. Assad regimeSecretary of State Antony Blinken said.
This was the first acknowledgment of direct American contact with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which the United States still classifies as a terrorist organization.
Blinken was speaking in Jordan after talks with representatives of a number of Arab countries, Turkey and Europe to discuss the future of Syria.
The officials agreed to support a peaceful transition in the country. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that regional powers do not want Syria to slide into chaos.
A joint statement called for the formation of a comprehensive Syrian government that respects the rights of minorities and does not provide a base for “terrorist groups.”
The talk inside and outside Syria after the turbulent events of recent weeks has been about the vital importance of establishing a new government that represents all Syrians.
At the meeting held in Jordan, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein expressed his concern about Syria's common future in the Middle East and beyond.
He said that regional players do not want to see another Libya, referring to the chaos that followed the removal of Colonel Gaddafi from power.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that existing Syrian institutions must be preserved and reformed.
Fidan said, according to Reuters news agency, “Never allow terrorism to exploit the transitional period. We must coordinate our efforts and learn from the mistakes of the past.”
The most powerful rebel group, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, has indicated that it seeks to form an inclusive government. But the group's violent jihadist past has left some doubts about whether it will deliver on those promises.
Blinken said Washington had been in direct contact with HTS – particularly about the fate of long-missing American journalist, Austin Tice.
Blinken told reporters in Jordan: “We have been in contact with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and other parties.”
No representative from Syria was absent from the talks in Jordan. The foreign ministers of eight Arab countries who attended the meeting said that they wanted to ensure the unification of Syria and not divide it along sectarian lines.
Also absent were the two countries that provided financial support to Assad and enabled him to remain in power for a long time – Iran and Russia.
The shadow of all the outside powers that fought for Syria for so long hangs heavy over the country's future.
Syria's emerging political entities will need to cohere not only inside the country but also outside it if the Syrian people are to have any real hope of building on the taste of freedom they experienced last week.
