The U.S. has established direct contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that they have established direct contact with the groups that overthrew the Baath regime in Syria, namely Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

BLINKEN'S STATEMENT ON SYRIA

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a press conference in Aqaba, Jordan, where he went to attend a meeting of foreign ministers to discuss developments in Syria. During the meeting, Blinken stated, "Syria has changed more in the last half-century than in any given week." He mentioned that the U.S. and other regional powers have agreed on a series of principles that they hope the temporary leaders of Syria will adhere to in exchange for "support and recognition" from a future Syrian government.

"THE TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT MUST MAINTAIN GOOD RELATIONS WITH ITS NEIGHBORS"

Blinken called for the "inclusive and representative" transitional government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities and women, to have zero tolerance for terrorist groups, to destroy chemical weapon stockpiles, and to maintain good relations with Syria's neighbors.

"WE ARE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HTS"

In response to a journalist's question about whether the U.S. has communicated with HTS, which it considers a terrorist group, Blinken said, "We are in contact with HTS and other parties." He emphasized the importance of finding and bringing home U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was detained during the Assad regime.

"ISIS MAY TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TRANSITION PROCESS IN SYRIA"

Blinken recalled that he had discussions with officials in Turkey regarding the situation of the PKK/YPG terrorist groups, which operate under the name SDF in Syria, and suggested that ISIS may try to take advantage of the transition process in Syria, stating that "it is very important for these groups to maintain this role at this moment." The meeting held in Aqaba, Jordan, hosted by the Amman administration, includes foreign ministers from Jordan, Turkey, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, as well as representatives from the EU and the UN to discuss developments in Syria.