US establishes direct contact with HTS in Syria

(Patria) - The United States has established direct contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the movement leading the coalition that took power in Syria, announced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

- We have been in contact with HTS and other parties - Blinken told reporters after talks on Syria in Jordan.

He did not provide additional details about the circumstances of those talks, but when asked whether the US had a direct link, he replied - "direct contact, yes."

Blinken specified that the contact is part of efforts to locate Austin Tice, an American journalist who was kidnapped in 2012 at the start of the civil war in Syria.

- To all parties we have been in contact with, we emphasized the importance of finding Austin Tice and bringing him home - Blinken stated.

HTS, led by Abu Mohamad al-Golani, claims to have broken with jihadism, but several Western capitals, including Washington, still classify it as a terrorist group.

Few expect the US to quickly lift that "terrorist" designation, especially during a political transition ahead of Donald Trump's arrival at the White House in January.

Blinken, in Jordan's Aqaba as part of a tour of Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, participated in talks that brought together Arab, European and Turkish diplomats.

- We agreed that the transition process must be led and controlled by the Syrians themselves and result in an inclusive and representative government.

The rights of all Syrians, including the rights of minorities and women, must be respected. Humanitarian aid must reach people in need - Blinken stated.

He added that the participants in the talks agreed that "state institutions" must continue to provide basic services.

In a joint statement released later in the evening, participants emphasized "the importance of fighting terrorism and extremism" and "the need to prevent any resurgence of terrorist groups."