EGN NEWS DESK
The first public affirmation of interplay with HTS got here on the conclusion of Blinken’s diplomatic tour of the area sparked by the sudden downfall of Assad’s decades-long rule.
He signed off on a set of guiding ideas for Syria’s transition with officers from eight Arab nations, Turkey, the European Union and the United Nations.
Under the settlement, the transition course of have to be Syrian-led and inclusive; the rights of all Syrians, together with girls, revered; humanitarian help unrestricted; Syria banned from getting used as a terrorist base; and all chemical weapons stockpiles destroyed.
“Now, nobody has any illusions about how difficult this time will likely be, however there’s additionally one thing extremely highly effective at work: a Syrian individuals decided to interrupt with the previous and form a greater future,” Blinken mentioned.
The U.S. official additionally emphasised that serving to discover Austin Tice — an American freelance journalist who is assumed to have been taken captive near Damascus in August 2012 whereas he was protecting the nation’s civil conflict — and bringing him residence will likely be a high precedence.
