Egypt Daily News – US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said on Saturday that the United States had “direct” contacts with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the Syrian armed group that de facto controls the country, after the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
“Yes, we have been in contact with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and other parties,” Blinken added at a press conference in Jordan, adding that the contact was direct.
This is the first public American confirmation of direct contact with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a group that the United States has designated as a “terrorist.” Blinken did not give details about when the call was made or at what level it took place. There is no legal obstacle (in America) to speaking with a group classified as terrorist.
“We pressed everyone we were in contact with about the importance of helping find (US citizen) Austin Tice and bring him home,” Blinken said.
The United States also shares the principles expected of a new Syrian government – that the rights of all Syrians be respected, that Syria must not become a base for terrorism, that humanitarian aid must be delivered, and that chemical weapons stockpiles must be safely secured and destroyed.
Anthony Blinken noted that these principles have “now been adopted by countries across the region and beyond,” which also sends a message to the “opposition government,” in reference to the new Syrian government, he said.
