17.12.2024 11:31
British diplomats met with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The meeting addressed recent developments in the region, and the UK announced a £50 million humanitarian aid package for Syria.
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British diplomats met with the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, in the Syrian capital, Damascus. HTS's military operations department shared footage of Jolani meeting with senior British officials in Damascus. Ann Snow, the UK Special Representative for Syria, was also present at the meeting. HTS reported that the delegation discussed the "latest developments" in the country.
"THE TYRANT IS NO MORE"
Jolani also called on the West to lift all sanctions imposed on Syria during the Assad regime, including the designation of HTS as a terrorist organization, in an interview with the UK-based Times newspaper. Jolani stated, "The tyrant is no more. They should lift all restrictions imposed on the tyrant and the victim. This issue is not open to negotiation."
"WE WANT TO SEE AN INCLUSIVE GOVERNMENT"
The meetings held yesterday with British diplomats came after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that he had established "diplomatic contact" with HTS, which the UK considers a terrorist organization. Expressing hopes for Syria's new leaders, Lammy said, "We want to see a representative government, an inclusive government. We want to ensure that chemical weapon stockpiles are secured and not used, and to prevent further violence. For all these reasons, we are trying to deal with HTS where necessary, using all the channels at our disposal, which are diplomatic and, of course, intelligence-based channels."
A £50 MILLION HUMANITARIAN AID PACKAGE HAS BEEN PREPARED
The British government announced a £50 million humanitarian aid package for Syrians, including refugees in the region. The United Nations (UN) estimates that at least 374,000 Syrians have been displaced due to the conflicts that led to the overthrow of Assad, and this number is increasing in addition to the millions already made homeless by the ongoing civil war.
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