A group of U.S. diplomatic officials met Friday with the rebels who toppled Bashar al-Assad, in a clumsy attempt to open channels with the rebels whose leaders have been designated as terrorists.
Asad is exiled from Damascus Two weeks ago, his family's 50-year murderous tyranny ended. The rebel coalition that overthrew him after an 11-day blitzkrieg was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an al-Qaeda offshoot. specified It was recognized as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government in 2018. Muhammad al-Jolani, leader of HTS, $10 million bounty to his head from the FBI as of this writing.
HTS has been working on: reinvent yourself Operating as a more “moderate” jihadist organization, Jolani returned to his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to forget his past with al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Western governments clearly want to believe that HTS will turn a new leaf and govern a more inclusive and peaceful Syria, where humanitarian aid is delivered more effectively. Everyone is keen to avoid the nightmare scenario of Afghanistan, where the Taliban imposed heavy-handed measures. proto-Islamist regime After President Joe Biden's disastrous withdrawal in 2021.
of open praise This is because HTS leaders' representation of the Taliban is not encouraging. The Taliban responded to their affection by saying: I warmly congratulate you HTS overthrew Assad within hours of the dictator's resignation.
To avoid a new Afghanistan, European governments and the United Nations have been in tentative contact with the rebels, even though all agencies consider HTS a terrorist organization.
U.S. diplomats began talks with Syria's new jihadist rulers, days after delegations from the United Nations, Germany, France and Britain met with Jolani. The first U.S. mission to Damascus since 2011 headed to By Barbara Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
US Department of State said The delegation to Damascus will “work directly with the Syrian people, including civil society members, activists, members of various communities, and other Syrian voices, about their vision for the country's future and how the United States can support them.” We will have a dialogue.”
Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday laid out the Biden administration's concerns. caveat HTS must not follow the path blazed by the Taliban.
“The Taliban put on a more moderate face, or at least tried to, in occupying Afghanistan, but then their true colors emerged. As a result, America remains severely isolated around the world. ” Blinken said during an appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York.
“So if you're an emerging group in Syria and you don't want that isolation, there are some things you have to do to move the country forward,” Blinken interjected.
The State Department's official position is that Mr. Jolani will keep his promise of moderation, with a glimmer of hope that if there is enough motivation hanging from the international community, he might be persuaded to do the right thing. I'm skeptical about that. The Biden administration is strongly suggested HTS could gain favor from Washington by locating American journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Damascus in 2012.
Syria's new rulers are keen to see the terrorist designation revoked, and the process will take time. a few months at most If President-elect Donald Trump agrees. Still, the United States generally respects terrorist designations applied by the United Nations, and it is highly unlikely that the United Nations will remove HTS from its list of terrorist organizations as long as Russian President Bashar al-Assad's former backer has veto power. .
Jolani signaled By criticizing the Taliban's brutal treatment of women in an interview with the BBC on Friday, he said he at least knows the rules of the diplomatic game.
“I believe in women's education. Unlike Afghanistan, which is highly tribal, Syria is a diverse society with different ideas. The Afghan model cannot be applied here,” he said, adding that the US, UK , EU and UN diplomats said exactly what they wanted to hear.
Jolani also said HTS has no interest in attacking Israel, and Israel has expanded a “buffer zone” around the Golan Heights to thwart that possibility.
The leaders of HTS are said The group plans to control Syria's government institutions until March 1, at which point an “interim government” will be established in consultation with all Syrians and a new national constitution will be drafted.
